Does Gender in Children’s Books Matter?

Abstract

This paper analysed gender representations in children's books. To be specific, the paper assesses gender equality in children's books. In general, children acquired gender concepts from the culture within the society. Then, it is transmitted through various media, book is one of them. Gender is defined as a characteristic of men and women constructed by society and culture. As one of cultural products, books convey cultural messages including gender messages. Children's books contain narratives and pictures of men and women and messages about contemporary men and women. Based on literature research this paper argues that children's books contribute to shaping children's understanding about society and themselves. This paper is organized as follows, first, the concept of gender will be explained. Second, the paper will combine several previous studies on various issues and how children's books constructed the concept of gender for children. Third, the paper analyses the importance of gender equality in children's books. The paper concludes that children's books play an important role in shaping children's understanding about gender equality.

Halal Food and Inclusivity in Children’s Literature: A Case Study of Halal Exploration from Cultural and Religious Perspectives in Kindergartens in Indonesia

“…It provides opportunities for children to learn about cultural and religious diversity in their classrooms. In a multicultural society like Indonesia, inclusivity is key to ensuring that all children feel accepted and respected, regardless of their backgrounds (Lestari & Yulindrasari, 2021).…”

“…Children's literature is not just a source of entertainment but also a powerful educational medium. Children learn a lot through stories, illustrations, and characters in children's books (Lestari, 2020;Lestari & Yulindrasari, 2021). Therefore, children's literature has great potential in educating children about cultural and religious values, including halal food.…”

GENDER REPRESENTATION OF PERCY JACKSON & THE LIGHTNING THIEF IN ENGLISH AND INDONESIAN

“…Children's literature is synonymous with children's lives, ranging from the center of the story, the characters, to things that can only be understood by children, and in a form that children like, such as books full of exciting pictures (Bayraktar, 2021;Mirzayeva et al, 2020). Gender diversity of characters in children's books has important roles such as reflecting a diverse world to increase a sense of inclusion and belonging, increase self-confidence and feelings of value, and promote gender equality which is important for creating an equitable society (Lestari & Yulindrasari, 2021), and enhance understanding of gender roles (Casey et al, 2021). Unbalanced representation or comparison between genders can lead to negative psychological outcomes for those with underrepresented or negatively portrayed identities (Tukachinsky et al, 2017).…”