Gender Role Portrayal and Stereotyping in Children
GENDER ROLE PORTRAYAL AND STEREOTYPING IN CHILDREN’S LITERATURE
As part of the growing process of children, reading of different types of children’s literature helps them in developing the much needed communication and language skills (Fitzpatrick, 2009). However, whether fortunately or unfortunately, that is not all this literature does for these young minds; it either shapes their minds positively or negatively according to how it draws to them the picture of gender roles and differences in the society (Gooden, 2001). Most of the children adore the main characters of the story books they read, and they start living and thinking in a way that “makes” them like one character or the other. It is almost as if every little girl wants to become a “Cinderella” and every young boy wants to be as heroic as “George of the jungle” or “Prince charming” (Turner-Bowker, 1996). Gender roles are a very important part of every culture hence the importance of how this subject is portrayed to the children through their literature which they tend to love and believe a lot.
Numerous studies have been conducted, and the findings are very appalling; a very huge percentage of the children’s books are dominated by male characters, and even those with female characters still center around one that is male (Katz, 1986). In most of these books, girls are shown to be lovable, compliant, naïve and dependent people who are passive members of the society, and they are seemingly supposed to let the males run the show while they obediently and gracefully respond. On the other hand, boys are portrayed to be “macho men,” strong, heroic, free to seek exploration or adventure and self-governing people who run the show and are never defeated (Crandall, 1996).
Girls are portrayed as nurturers and care givers and as helpers who uphold and yield to the male characters while their counterparts roam about seeking for adventure in which they eventually turn out heroic (Kortenhaus, 1993). It is funny to
As part of the growing process of children, reading of different types of children’s literature helps them in developing the much needed communication and language skills (Fitzpatrick, 2009). However, whether fortunately or unfortunately, that is not all this literature does for these young minds; it either shapes their minds positively or negatively according to how it draws to them the picture of gender roles and differences in the society (Gooden, 2001). Most of the children adore the main characters of the story books they read, and they start living and thinking in a way that “makes” them like one character or the other. It is almost as if every little girl wants to become a “Cinderella” and every young boy wants to be as heroic as “George of the jungle” or “Prince charming” (Turner-Bowker, 1996). Gender roles are a very important part of every culture hence the importance of how this subject is portrayed to the children through their literature which they tend to love and believe a lot.
Numerous studies have been conducted, and the findings are very appalling; a very huge percentage of the children’s books are dominated by male characters, and even those with female characters still center around one that is male (Katz, 1986). In most of these books, girls are shown to be lovable, compliant, naïve and dependent people who are passive members of the society, and they are seemingly supposed to let the males run the show while they obediently and gracefully respond. On the other hand, boys are portrayed to be “macho men,” strong, heroic, free to seek exploration or adventure and self-governing people who run the show and are never defeated (Crandall, 1996).
Girls are portrayed as nurturers and care givers and as helpers who uphold and yield to the male characters while their counterparts roam about seeking for adventure in which they eventually turn out heroic (Kortenhaus, 1993). It is funny to
References: Clark, R. (2005). Two Steps Forward, One Step Back: The Presence of Female Characters and Gender Stereotyping in Award-Winning Picture Books Between the 1930s and the 1960s. Vol. 49, No. 9-10, 439-449. Crandall, R. (Ed.). (1996). Handbook of gender research [Special issue]. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, Vol. 11, No. 5, 27-39. Fitzpatrick, M.J (2009). Coloring within the Lines: Gender Stereotypes in Contemporary Coloring Books. Vol. 62, No. 1-2, 127-137. Gooden, A.M. (2001). Gender Representation in Notable Children’s Picture Books: 1995-1999. Vol. 45, No. 1-2, 89-101. Hamilton, M.C. (2006). Gender Stereotyping and Under-representation of Female Characters in 200 Popular Children’s Picture Books: A Twenty-first Century Update. Vol. 55, No. 11-12, 757-765. Katz, P.A. (1986). Modification of children’s gender stereotyped behavior: general issues and research considerations. Vol. 14, No. 11-12, 591-602. Kolbe, R. (1981). Sex-Role Stereotyping in Preschool Children 's Picture Books. Social Psychology Quarterly. American Sociological Association. Vol. 44, No. 4, 369-374. Kortenhaus, C.M (1993). Gender Role Stereotyping in Children’s Literature: An Update. Vol. 28, No. 3-4, 219-232. Tepper, C.A. (1999). Gender Differences in Emotional Language in Children’s Picture Books. Vol. 40, No. 3-4, 265-280. Turner-Bowker, D.M. (1996). Gender stereotyped descriptors in children’s picture books: does “curious Jane” exist in the literature? Vol. 35, No. 7-8, 461-488.