Barbie medical dolls lack diversity, accuracy and safety: study

By Isobel Williams via SWNS

Medical-themed Barbie dolls are lacking in diversity and accuracy and don’t meet safety standards in the professions they depict, according to a new study.

Scientists say that current medical and scientific Barbies don’t meet clinical and laboratory safety standards as they often have their hair down and wear high heels.

The ever-popular fashion doll has been everything from a construction worker, teacher, and veterinarian to a judge, scientist, and medical doctor, symbolizing careers that children can aspire to one day hold.

But no previous studies have analyzed Barbie medical professional and scientist dolls to determine the kinds of professions they hold and their professional accuracy.

This group of scientists set out to change that by studying 92 Barbie brand career dolls in medical or scientific professions.

They studied the dolls' clothing, accessories, and packaging, and their personal safety accessories were assessed according to Indiana University guidelines.

The results, published in The BMJ, showed that the dolls were overwhelmingly depicted as adult (98 percent), female (93 percent), and white (59 percent) and no doll was depicted as having a visible disability.

Medical researcher Katherine Klamer, from Indiana University, said: “Themed dolls help to inspire tomorrow’s medical professionals and scientists and she urges all toy companies to create better, more accurate, and professionally diverse medical professional and scientist dolls.

“For young girls’ sakes as much as her own, Barbie must keep shattering glass ceilings.”

They also found that Barbie brand medical professional dolls largely treated children (66 percent), with only three dolls (four percent) depicted working with adult patients.

Although the dolls came with medical accessories such as laboratory coats, microscopes, stethoscopes, and glasses no doll fully met professional safety standards for their respective fields.

For example, only four percent had face masks and none had disposable gloves.

Also, more than two thirds of Barbie brand female medical professional and scientist dolls also wore loose hair, and more than half wore high heeled shoes, even in settings where this would be discouraged or actively prohibited for safety reasons.

The team believe that female medical students are still disproportionately discouraged from pursuing surgical careers even at prestigious institutions, and hope that these Barbies may make more women want to make it in those male dominated industries.

Professor Sareh Parangi said: “As surgeons in decidedly male dominated fields, we support Klamer’s conclusion that Barbies should represent a more diverse field of medical and scientific professions and that safety comes before fashion.

“We encourage and would welcome the creation of a surgeon Barbie and would be happy to advise Mattel on the correct accompanying equipment and PPE to make sure the doll is realistic and fun!

“With an expanded line, Barbies can be inspirational to young girls’ views of surgeons and scientists, rather than allowing these careers to be aspirational.”