Gender Stereotypes in Children's Picture Books

Having worked within a preschool, a children's museum, and two libraries, I have seen a subtle and slow shift of some children beginning to stray away from gender stereotypes but the majority of kids seem to buy into all the gender stereotypes thrown their way. I believe many parents are becoming aware of the consumer socialization of children and how gender conformity negatively affects children but society and the media has such a huge impact that it's hard for children not to consume these messages telling them how each gender should behave.

 

Just recently I heard on the news that McDonalds was going to stop asking the customers "Would you like a boy or girl toy?" and instead they will have to ask "Do you want the race car or the Barbie toy?" While I am pleased to hear that this change is being made, it is a clear reflection that this issue is very current and change is seriously needed. Documentaries like Miss Representation too are shining a light on the major issues females endure trying to gain equality in this world. Despite the efforts of feminists raising awareness on the gender stereotypes, pervasive sexism, and consumer socialization in our society, many people ignore the issue or don't believe it exists. As a strong feminist, this bothers me greatly. I wish everyone cared about these issues.

 

Even when I was creating this website I was bombarded with gender stereotypes. It was very ironic to me that as I was looking for a layout, the template "Cool Babies", seen here, featured a fake store selling baby gift baskets and baby clothes in two categories: boys and girls. The two gift baskets were completely identical except that the boy basket had a blue bear and the girl basket came with a pink bear. As you can see, these ridiculous messages boxing children into distinct separate categories are simply everywhere. Children's books are also filled with these stereotypes and frankly I am sick of it.

 

A few months ago I was planning a storytime for Valentine’s Day and at my library where I work, we create a basket of materials to be used by all Children's Services staff throughout the week. For my storytime basket I had to find at least 15 books on Valentine's Day which was a fun and interesting task. I was looking for books about love and kisses and I began to notice that the majority of books were about mothers! I was pretty frustrated by the trend I had noticed and it sparked a serious interest in this topic. Why was the majority of books on love, hugs, and kisses focused on the mother-child relationship rather than the father-child relationship? This issue really hit home as I am also engaged to a single father who so happens to be very affectionate with his son. While planning for my storytime basket, I had to deliberately throw in a book called I Love My Dad by Anna Walker, an excellent picture book showing a child and her dad doing fun activities together, including baking banana bread (a non-traditional role for a father)!

 

After doing some research, I found an article from 2005 in the journal Sex Roles that examined this issue in depth. The article, "Gender Role Stereotyping of Parents in Children’s Picture Books: The Invisible Father" explained that a content analysis of the gender roles exhibited in 200 prominent children’s picture books demonstrated that fathers are largely under-represented, and, when they do appear, they are withdrawn and ineffectual parents. The issue of gender stereotyping in children’s literature is truly pervasive and I am now realizing that this is not just an assumption or hunch that I had based on my own perceptions. I can only hope that publishing trends change as time passes but for the time being I will be on the lookout for books that defy gender stereotypes! As a future children's librarian, I feel it is my duty

 

Reference:

 

• Anderson, D. A., & Hamilton, M. (2005). Gender Role Stereotyping of Parents in Children’s Picture Books: The Invisible Father. Sex Roles, 52(3-4), 145-151.
   

• Walker, A. (2010). I Love My Dad. New York: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.