Marks & Spencer has agreed to make the packaging of all of its toys gender neutral by spring 2014, after customers complained that it was marketing items according to stereotypes.
Customers contacted M&S to complain at a range of toys called "Boy's Stuff", which included planes, cars, dinosaurs, racing cars, cat toys, a marble run and a pop-up fire station.
The description on the latter said: "This pop up fire station is perfect for little fire men everywhere", while the description of a watch in the same range read: "The perfect wrist accessory no boy should be without," and a joke book read: "Boys know the best jokes and here are 500 crackers to keep you ahead of the girls."
The Boy's Stuff range will be rebranded to use a simple graphic logo, while the "Little Miss Arty" range will become "Poppy and Blue", using character-based branding.
M&S told the Guardian it was already in the process of updating its policy but this became public when it responded to a specific criticism on Twitter by Labour MP Stella Creasy. It Tweeted back: "Hi Stella, we've listened to customer feedback and by spring next year all of our toys will be gender neutral. Thanks."
M&S said in a statement: "We offer a wide range of fun and educational toys, which are designed to appeal to children regardless of gender. We have listened carefully to feedback from our customers and by spring next year all of our toys will be gender neutral."
Meanwhile, the number of shops organising their toy departments into separate sections for boys and girls has fallen by 60% in the past year, following pressure on retailers from shoppers and campaigners, it has been claimed.
Campaign group Let Toys be Toys said reports from the high street suggested that a fifth of stores were still organising their toy sections by gender rather than genre, compared to half in the runup to Christmas 2012.
The group, which started in November 2012, has been calling on retailers to end gender-stereotyping in toy departments which has seen some display play kitchens and colouring sets under "girls" signs and science sets and doctor's costumers under "boys" signs.
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据英国《卫报》报道，玛莎百货同意在2014年春季之前为所有的玩具换上性别中立的包装。此前顾客抱怨玛莎百货根据性别成见进行市场营销。
顾客联系玛莎百货，投诉该商场将一系列商品归类为“男孩玩具”，包括玩具飞机、小汽车、恐龙、赛车、猫、单子和弹出式消防站。
其中，弹出式消防站玩具的说明上写道：“这个弹出式消防站非常适合各地的小消防员”。这一系列中的一款玩具手表也有这样的说明：“最完美的腕部配件，所有的男孩都不应错过”。还有一本笑话书上则写道：“男孩子们知道最厉害的笑话，这本书里有500则帮助你领先女孩儿的爆笑秘籍”。
“男孩玩具”区域已经重新挂牌，换成一个简单的图形标志，而“女孩艺术”区域被重命名为“波比和布鲁”并使用人物形象的标牌。
玛莎百货向《卫报》表示，正在进行政策修订流程，但是在回答工党议员史黛拉•克里希发布在推特上的批评时被公开。玛莎百货在推特上回应称：“史黛拉您好，我们已经听取顾客的反馈，会在明年春季前将所有玩具换成中性的包装。非常感谢”。
玛莎百货发表声明：“我们提供大量有趣而富有教育意义的玩具，为所有儿童的需求而设计而不针对性别。我们已经认真听取顾客们的反馈，将在明年春季前将所有玩具换成中性的包装”。
同时，玛莎百货表示，在顾客和社会活动者对零售商的压力下，将男孩与女孩的玩具分在不同区域的商店数量在去年下降了60%。
“让玩具成为玩具”活动小组说，来自主要街道的调查报告显示，五分之一的店铺仍然以性别而不是风格为标准对玩具分类，而这一数据在2012年圣诞到来之际曾高达50%。
“让玩具成为玩具”成立于2012年十一月，旨在呼吁零售商停止玩具部门的性别成见，诸如在“女孩”的标示下摆上玩具厨房和涂色集，而科学装置和医生服装则被归在“男孩”的标示下。
