My point is that it isn't just society that's pandering to the stereotype... so are the children. Consciously.
The problem lies in the choices available to children as they explore these roles. The children do not create those, and they have very little control over them.
Case in point is this obsession with pink. Many people think it's an innate preference. Except that pink has only been a girl color for about a century. Before that it was a boy color. (It was considered a baby version of red, a masculine color.) And that's just the European/American tradition. In some Asian cultures, pink is traditionally a boy's color as well.
So why are today's girls obsessed with pink? Because they are shaping themselves based on the choices they see available. Maybe not a problem if we're just talking about a color, but very much a problem when we're talking about interests, skills, and life goals.
