Gender-bender Christmas for kids
Father Christmas could find himself labelled sexist by giving dolls and tea sets to girls and monster trucks and guns to boys.
A debate on gender-specific toys in Australia is raging and even Prime Minister Tony Abbott has weighed in with his view that boys should be boys and girls should be girls.
Australian senator Larissa Waters backed a call for a "No Gender December", with parents pledging that "there is no place for gender stereotypes under my Christmas tree".
Separate blue and pink aisles in toy stores, and advertisements showing girls and boys playing with sex-specific toys, encouraged gender inequality, the group said.
A spokesman for South Africa's Commission for Gender Equality, Javu Baloyi, yesterday said the "No Gender December" call had given rise to a debate on moving away from "gender roles and stereotypical mentality".
"As a commission, we believe that the upbringing of a girl child and a boy child, as they are now, perpetuate stereotypes.
"We need to buy toys that stimulate children and make them see each other as equals, and not say, 'You can't play with a gun because you are a girl, and you can't wear pink because you're a boy'," he said.
Gauteng educational psychologist Fatima Adam said parents were entitled to buy toys according to the child's needs and desires, irrespective of gender.
"If a girl wants a truck, why not? In today's world children need to learn about equality from an early age and that should start in the area of play, a vital part of development," said Adam.
"If you allow a little boy to play with a tea set, which I know goes against the grain of society, it's actually healthy because it is teaching him skills."
But toy shops categorise toys by gender.
- Retailers' lists show that the top toys for girls this year are dolls, merchandise from Disney's Frozen movie, loom bands and tablets.
- Boys want Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles merchandise, Xbox One, Lego, and cars and trucks.