Gender Stereotypes in Children's Picture Books

          Children are bombarded with messages filled with gender stereotypes and biases and children regularly learn to adopt gender roles which are not always fair to both sexes. As children get older, they are exposed to many factors which influence their attitudes and behaviors regarding gender roles. These attitudes and behaviors are generally learned first in the home and are then reinforced by the child's peers, school experience, and essentially all forms of media including television and children’s literature. Although the strongest influence on gender role development seems to occur within the family setting, children’s literature is an often overlooked aspect of media that is inundated with gender stereotypes and biases. For children's librarians, being aware of gender stereotypes in children’s picture books is particularly critical because concepts of gender identity are often placed on children even before their birth. From the time children are babies, parents treat sons and daughters differently, dressing infants in gender specific colors, giving gender differentiated toys, and expecting different behavior from boys and girls (Thorne, 1993). Some parents may even have differential expectations of sons and daughters as early as 24 hours after birth (Rubin, Provenzano, & Luria, 1974).

 

          It is impossible to walk through a Walmart, Target, or Sears and not see products designed to target specific genders. Consumer products inundate children with gender-typed messages on bed sheets, towels, bandages, clothes, school supplies, toys, and furniture (Freeman, 2007). Not only are these products marketed for specific genders, but they are merchandised in stores by gender, creating segregated pink and blue aisles for shopping. Books are also a major source of media filled with gender stereotypes and this can have a tremendous influence on young children. The main characters within children’s books provide role models and definitions of masculinity and femininity for children. Because children are active and critical readers, books and their illustrations become a cultural resource for children to learn about social norms (Jackson, 2007). In a study of Newberry and Caldecott award-winning books, male protagonists outnumbered female ones three to one, and 21 out of 25 books contained images of women wearing aprons (Narahara, 1998). Even in 2013, children’s books are stuck in the past says sociologist Amy Dewitt, one of the authors of the new study “Parental Role Portrayals in Twentieth Century Children's Picture Books: More Egalitarian or Ongoing Stereotyping?” DeWitt and her team surveyed 300 picture books from throughout the 20th century, finding that “mothers are much more likely to be portrayed nurturing and caring for children, and men are more likely to work outside of the home.” Surprisingly, the books published as late as 2000 displayed no statistically significant improvement in this area. DeWitt concluded that even in the modern era, “storybook characters often inhabit a bygone, male breadwinner-female homemaker era.”

 

          This is a very important issue to be aware of as a children’s librarian because we are the ones that are in charge of ordering books for the library where many young children come to read. We should strive to choose books that don’t push traditional gender roles onto children and look for books that show males being nurturing, show females in positions of power, show non-traditional families, and show males and females involved in equal and respectful partnerships. When it comes to presenting storytimes, we should make note of the gender roles portrayed in the children’s books because while we may not think about it, the books and illustrations will reinforce children’s perceptions of gender roles.

 

 

 

 

References:

 

• Dewitt, A. L., Cready, C. M., & Seward, R. R. (2013). Parental Role Portrayals in Twentieth Century Children’s Picture Books: More Egalitarian or Ongoing Stereotyping?. Sex Roles, 69(1-2), 89-106.
   

• Freeman, N. (2007). Preschoolers’ perceptions of gender-appropriate toys and their parents’ beliefs about genderized behaviors, Miscommunication, mixed messages, or hidden truths? Early Childhood Education Journal, 34(5), 357-366
   

• Jackson, S. (2007). She might not have the right tools... and he does: Children’s sense-making of gender, work and abilities in early school readers. Gender and Education, 19(1), 61-77.
   

• Narahara, M. (1998). Gender stereotypes in children’s picture books. ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED419248Rubin, J., Provenzano, R., & Luria, Z. (1974). The eye of the beholder: Parents' views on sex of new- borns. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 44, 512-519
   

• Thorne, B. (1993). Gender play: Girls and boys in school. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.