California is set to implement a new law on January 1, 2024, which mandates that stores selling children’s items must include a gender-neutral section.
This law targets retailers with at least 500 employees across their various store locations. These stores are required to display a reasonable selection of childcare items and toys in a way that does not conform to traditional gender marketing norms.
The text of the law claims that this approach allows consumers to more easily identify unjustified differences in similar products traditionally marketed to either girls or boys. It also suggests that separating these items by gender makes it harder for consumers to compare products and implies that their use by one gender is inappropriate.
“Unjustified differences in similar products that are traditionally marketed either for girls or for boys can be more easily identified by the consumer if similar items are displayed closer to one another in one, undivided area of the retail sales floor,” the text of the law says. “Keeping similar items that are traditionally marketed either for girls or for boys separated makes it more difficult for the consumer to compare the products and incorrectly implies that their use by one gender is inappropriate.”
Retailers who fail to comply with this new regulation could face a civil penalty. A fine of $250 is imposed for the first offense, escalating to $500 for subsequent offenses.
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