Lisa M. Dinella, Ph.D. will present on gender disparities in children’s media and toys at the White House, Washington D.C. As an invited keynote speaker, Dinella will provide key recommendations to toy, media, and retail companies, youth-serving and parenting organizations, and advocacy groups on how to break down gender stereotypes in the products they create, in the organizations they run, and through the advocacy work they do. The event is co-sponsored by The White House Council on Women and Girls, The U.S. Department of Education, and The Media, Diversity & Social Change Initiative at the University of Southern California.
Dinella will address how gendered toys affect children’s play, the skills they develop, and their eventual career choices. Her research conducted at the Gender Development Laboratory at Monmouth University indicates that gender labeling of toys creates barriers to children exploring all possible toy and play experiences. Her investigations also explore how highly feminine and masculine characters in children’s movies set early expectations for girls’ versus boys’ behaviors. She connects how these early play experiences potentially set girls and boys on separate paths throughout childhood, which can extend into young adults’ work and family decisions.
Lisa M. Dinella
Lisa M. Dinella, Ph.D. is a research scientist who investigates the relations between gender, academic achievement, and career development. Dr. Dinella studies children’s toy play and media exposure, and how gendered experiences shape academic and career pursuits across the lifespan. She is the Principal Investigator of the Gender Development Laboratory at Monmouth University, where she is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Affiliated Faculty Member of Gender Studies. Her school-based research endeavors led to her edited book Conducting Science-Based Psychology Research in Schools. Dr. Dinella has created partnerships with school stakeholders in settings ranging from preschools to universities.