Even Lego sees the importance of inspiring women

Asked what female roles were planned for Lego Movie 2, Miller said: “I don’t want to give spoilers but there will be more female characters and more female stuff.” 

So despite the “everything is awesome” – yes, I’ve watched the movie – tagline, the ‘female issue’ has managed to find its way into the Lego world, and, much like Glencore did in June, is attempting to close the gender gap.

Indeed, how often have we heard that ‘women need female role models to inspire success’? But even with reports predicting that Lord Davies’ 25 per cent target could be hit in 2015, the statistics remain daunting.

It has been found that females simply lack interest in STEM fields and only 17 per cent of women work in technology.

Our difference in attitudes, however, can perhaps be explained by Moore’s law, which describes the exponential growth of computing power; men are obsessed with form, technicalities and speed. 

“Technology to boys starts very young,” suggests Dave Wallace, CEO of Heath Wallace. “It’s the very definition of a self-fulfilling prophecy; technology is male dominated, so it makes things that appeal to the male mind.”

If this theory is applied to various sectors, it stands to reason that we need to hit them while they’re young. And a recent incident has proven that toys have a large effect on children.

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For example, when it comes to Lego builder kits “boys went on adventures, worked, saved people and even swam with sharks,” while female sets had figurines dressed in frilly pink dresses that “sit at home, go to the beach and shop.”

The above quotes come from seven-year-old Charlotte Benjamin who made a plea to the Lego company for more female figurines. 

Given the fact that Lego inspires children to have ideas and create new things from original plans to become, as the Lego Movie puts it, ‘master builders’, it’s great to see that even Lego is now taking the female issue on board. They even released a set of female science figures – all pink frill free!

In a BBC interview, talking about the recent emergence of female heroines in movies animated movies geared towards women, Lord said: “You can feel that the whole movie culture is now starting to wake up to the fact that half the audience are women.”

This is something that all businesses should take into consideration.

Concerned with issues surrounding gender diversity in business? Don’t miss Real Business’s First Women programme:

Drawing on ten years of the First Women movement and the phenomenal network of pioneering women the Awards has created, this programme features The First Women Awards and The First Women Summit – designed to educate, mentor and inspire women in all levels of business.

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By Shané Schutte

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