A bill set to be considered by the California State Assembly this month would punish large retailers in the state for having separate sections for children’s merchandise based only on gender.
AB 2826 would, if passed into law, require any retail department store with 500 or more employees to “maintain undivided areas of its sales floor where, if it sells childcare articles, children’s clothing, or toys, all childcare items, all clothing for children, or all toys, regardless of whether a particular item has traditionally been marketed for either girls or for boys, shall be displayed.” Failure to comply would result in a civil penalty of $1,000.
“I was inspired to introduce this bill after 8-year-old Britten asked, ‘Why should a store tell me what a girl’s shirt or toy is?’” Assemblyman Evan Low, a Democrat, said in a statement last week. “Her bill will help children express themselves freely and without bias. We need to let kids be kids.”
Low said having separate sections of boys and girls clothing or toys can create harmful stigma.
“Separating items that are traditionally marketed for either girls or boys makes it more difficult for the consumer to compare products,” his office said. “It also incorrectly implies that their use by one gender is inappropriate.”
Some consumers aren’t thrilled about the idea of consolidated, gender-neutral sections for children’s goods in the state’s largest department stores.
“We, you know, want to raise our daughter to know she is a girl. That’s how she was born. That’s how she will live,” Candace Miller told local television station KSBY. “I want my daughter to dress like a girl and my boys to dress like boys, and I want those sections to be separated.”
Other parents are open to the idea of a more streamlined process when shopping for their children.
“As a mom of two toddlers, if I had a boy and a girl, having it centralized that I don’t have to run around a store — I think would be a great idea,” said Chloe Gannage.
The bill defines children’s products as “any product designed or intended by the manufacturer to facilitate sleep, relaxation, or the feeding of children, or to help children with sucking or teething.”
Some major retailers have already shifted from gender-based sections or displays. Target announced in 2015 it would begin phasing out gender-based labeling in an effort to “help strike a better balance” and meet the needs of its consumers.
