Why are colors stereotyped for genders? Why do we associate pink with girls and blue with boys? Is it something biological, or did society influence us? We can argue that culture has a role in color-preferences because when babies are born, boys are given blue clothing and girls are given pink outfits. However, this can be disproved because color assignments for infants in hospitals did not exist until the 1940s.
Even though some parents dress their kids in neutral colors, there is research behind the fact that genders biologically predispose color preference. Princeton University researchers discovered that during some point in a female’s life, she experiences a pink-loving phase. A study conducted in 2003 supports this because it was discovered that females’ eyes are physically accustomed to view reddish colors more vividly than others.
According to this article, another experiment was conducted at Newcastle University where 206 people, ages 20 to 26, were asked to divide rectangles into certain color combinations. In part of the study, both men and women preferred the color blue. Later, these participants were given more of a variety of colors to pick from. Men’s preferences were more varied; however, women stereotypically favored reddish colors. The scientists concluded that there really is a difference in color preferences among the genders.
Also, thirty-seven women in the experiment were of Chinese decent, all of which preferred reddish colors. This disproves that color is culturally influenced and better supports that color-preference is more of a biological trait. In addition, researchers suggest that females’ preference for pink may be because, historically, women picked many red fruits and berries.
Overall, the reason why most women prefer pink could be caused by many different factors, but there is still no definite answer as to why certain genders prefer particular colors.
Sources:
http://curiosity.discovery.com/question/gender-colors
http://theweek.com/article/index/214732/do-girls-like-pink-because-of-their-berry-gathering-female-ancestors
Very interesting findings. While I agree that there might be a biological component that drives women to like pink more, I believe (like several other people are commented) that it is also very (and primarily) socially driven. Interestingly though, colors and their gender stereotypes really started Post World War 2! It used to be that boys used to wear pink and white and blue was for girls. Pink was derived from red, so it was considered stronger, and blue was dainty for girls. You can read more about it here!
I have always wondered this too but never took the time to find out why! The only thing I do not understand is how the correlation between women liking red could be due to women of the past picking berries. I find that difficult to relate to the women today, being that we are not all picking berries. I remember when I went through a pink phase which did not last really long but it still happened. This article lead me to wonder why people have a favorite color in the first place! Many people are surprised when I tell them my favorite color is black because many people associate that with goth, which I am not. Moreover, I just really like the color black and prefer it over any other color. It would be interesting to know why that is.
I’ve always wondered why blue was used for boys and pink for girls! I think that mostly it’s a marketing strategy like valentines day, instead of buying a newborn just any onesie consumers are probably more likely to buy the color that society has associated with each gender. It’s interesting that females see reds more vividly, I wonder if there are any studies proving that males see blue or greens more vividly to make this theory true from both sides. I’m curious as to how the Princeton researchers came to the conclusion that females go through a pink-loving phase sometime in their lives. I wonder if females have been going through that phase for hundreds of years, or if it is a newer phenomenon associated with society’s labeling of pink as a girl color. It’s the direct causation vs. reverse causation question basically, do women go through a pink phase because of genetic dispositions or because society has made it the norm?
I think that society has influenced us to choose pink (as females) and blue (as males). Even from birth , parents dress baby girls in pink and baby boys in blue. I can’t think of any biological reason as to why a certain gender would prefer a certain color, except for that we’ve been told what colors we “should” like for as long as we can remember.