One of the country's largest shopping centres has released a list of gender-neutral toys, celebrating a range of products for children that have finally broken out of traditionally gendered categories.
The list was developed for Union Square in Aberdeen following recent research published by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) that indicated only 11 per cent of toys labeled for girls focus on science, technology, engineering or math (STEM).
The research analysed top retailers and each engines such as Yahoo and Google and found that 89 per cent of toys geared towards girls were pink, while boys are almost three times as likely to get a gift related to science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) than girls.
The list, created to help steer parents and shoppers away from buying typically gendered gifts, features toys such as K'Nex, Lego and this season's must-have toy, 'Hatchimals' as the last minute Christmas shopping gets underway.
Union Square General Manager, Ryan Manson said, "By providing this insightful list, we hope that our shoppers may broaden their horizons when it comes to buying gifts this Christmas for both boys and girls."
Aberdeenshire based Educational Psychologist, Susan M Taylor, added, "All children benefit from toys that encourage them to interact, explore, problem solve and wonder and the importance of toys and games which fall into these categories being equally appealing to both boys and girls is vital."
With movements like 'No Gender December' sweeping across Australia and the rest of the world, many retailers have taken the stand to exclude gender tabs on their websites.
As recently as 2015, toy giant Toys R Us joined the 'no gender' initiative for toys by removing such tabs from its website.
As ever, tech gadgets proved popular, in particular brands such as Sony and Fossil saw wireless headsets and smart watches on the Christmas wish list for many.
Silverburn in Glasgow reported the top performing categories were menswear, with jewellery and restaurants also taking the lead as sales for Silverburn's gift card are currently up 14 per cent from last year.
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