For several years now, parents-to-be have included a gender-reveal party in their list of celebrations for their baby. Usually, these gender-reveal parties include pink or blue to indicate if the baby is a boy or a girl. While these parties may seem fun, it’s probably time to do away with them.

Should I have a gender reveal party?

There’s nothing wrong with having an extra party to celebrate the coming of your baby, but gender-reveal parties are fraught with issues. The most obvious problem is that, with a better understanding of gender and sexuality, it may not be appropriate to decide the gender of your baby before they can do it themselves. However, even if you do not want to get political, there are plenty of other reasons why you should not have a gender reveal party.

Many people do not see the connection between gender-reveal parties and what their friends and family purchase for their babies. Unfortunately, as soon as you say what gender your baby is, it will affect all of the gifts you receive. If you are not interested in having a full pink wardrobe for your girl or a slew of superhero onesies for your boy, it may be best to avoid revealing your baby’s gender.

People also buy toys based on the gender of the baby. One look down the toy aisle will show that boys are inundated with trucks and superheroes while girls are overwhelmed with pink, princesses, and Barbie dolls. This marketing means that before your baby is even born, someone else has decided what kind of toys your baby will play with. The results of this marketing are the underrepresentation of girls in STEM fields and boys who aren’t as skilled at nurturing and empathy.

No one ever needs an excuse to celebrate a baby, but the days of revealing your baby’s gender to the world are over. Even if you don’t understand the political reasons why people want to get away from gender-reveal parties, there are other reasons why you may want to avoid them.