Sixty years of gender representation in children's books: Conditions associated with overrepresentation of male versus female protagonists.

ABSTRACT: As a reflection of prominent cultural norms, children's literature plays an integral role in the acquisition and development of societal attitudes. Previous reports of male overrepresentation in books targeted towards children are consistent with a history of gender disparity across media and society. However, it is unknown whether such bias has been attenuated in recent years with increasing emphasis on gender equity and greater accessibility of books. Here, we provide an up-to-date estimate of the relative proportion of males and females featured as single protagonists in 3,280 children's books (0-16 years) published between 1960-2020. We find that although the proportion of female protagonists has increased over this 60-year period, male protagonists remain overrepresented even in recen

SUBMITTER: Casey K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8673601 | biostudies-literature | 2021

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature