Back in August, Target announced it was phasing out gender-based signs in some departments. And the giant retailer certainly made good on that promise right away despite the many criticisms it has received. Its stores all over the country have already removed references to “boys” and ”girls” in toy, home, and entertainment aisles. Toys are now sorted according to categories (like dolls, action figures, building sets, etc.) and books and movies are sorted by genre. They also traded in pink and blue shelves for a more neutral, wood-grain look instead. In the long run, making toy aisles gender-neutral is a good thing. Because according to science, boys and girls are not as different as society says they are. Different toys benefit children in different ways, and color-coding toys can actually backfire down the road. Toy makers were also identified as having an important role to play because they tend to take advantage of this cycle of beliefs passed down through the generations by packaging toys in gender specific colors and labels to reinforce old gender stereotypes. Read the full article here…