Gender representations in children's media and their influence

Abstract

Purpose -The purpose of this paper is to draw attention to the significant underrepresentation of females and stereotypical portrayals of both females and males that still exist in different kinds of media children are exposed to, as well as to various negative influences these may have on children's development. In addition, this paper intends to show up the potential positive effects of non-sexist gender representations in these media. Design/methodology/approach -The paper reviews studies that have been conducted on various kinds of media, in order to gain and provide a representative overview of gender portrayals and of possible influences they might have on children.Findings -Women are underrepresented in children's literature, television programs, as well as computer-related software. Traditional portrayals of females are also still the norm in these media that children are daily faced with. Alarming trends regarding the representations of males have also been found. The negative influence of sexist representations on children has been shown by numerous studies, as has been the potential of positively affecting children's development by exposing them to non-traditional gender representations. Originality/value -Awareness of how highly present sexism still is in media for children and of the ways in which it may inhibit children's development is seen as a crucial step toward change. Change in this field is needed if we want to ensure a better, more equal future for our world.

The Rise of the Androgynous Princess: Examining Representations of Gender in Prince and Princess Characters of Disney Movies Released 2009–2016

“…Over the past 25 years, several studies have demonstrated that male characters in cartoons and other television programs are given much more prominence and appear more frequently (Aubrey and Harrison 2004;Calvert et al 2003;Thompson and Zerbinos 1995), display more aggression (Luther and Legg 2010;Signorielli et al 1995), display more planning (Browne 1998), engage in more of almost all the noted behaviors (Hentges and Case 2013) and talk significantly more (Hentges and Case 2013). Scholars have therefore suggested that representations of both male and female gender roles in children's programming are frequently too narrow and stereotypical (Leaper et al 2002;Signorielli 2001;Steyer 2014). Negative representations of gender are also found in other forms of children's media, such as video games.…”

Peer Toy Play as a Gateway to Children’s Gender Flexibility: The Effect of (Counter)Stereotypic Portrayals of Peers in Children’s Magazines

“…Research findings suggest that gender-typed toy preferences and attitudes are malleable and can change in response to exposure to gender counter-stereotypic models (Abad and Pruden 2013 ; Steyer 2014 ). Indeed, if stereotypic portrayals and models provide one mode of gender socialization, then counter-stereotypic portrayals and models provide another mode of gender socialization.…”

Does Exposure to Counterstereotypical Role Models Influence Girls’ and Women’s Gender Stereotypes and Career Choices? A Review of Social Psychological Research

“…First and foremost, children are exposed to gender roles in their immediate environment through their parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, peers, and teachers, but also through educational resources, media, and popular culture. The social environment and media often depict traditional gender roles (Lauzen et al, 2008; Kahlenberg and Hein, 2010; Kan et al, 2011; Steyer, 2014; Koss, 2015; Murnen et al, 2016; Reich et al, 2018). For example, in many western countries, men spend more time in paid work whereas women spend more time in unpaid work (Kan et al, 2011).…”