An analysis of thousands of children’s books published in the last 60 years indicates that male characters are still overrepresented compared to female characters, although an increase in the latter is now being observed.
The researcher Stella Lourenco, from Emory University (USA), and his colleagues have presented these conclusions in a study published in PLoS ONE, in which factors associated with representation are explored.
The results of this observational study show overwhelming evidence of a bias favoring male over female representation in books published before 2000. However, evidence was lacking to know whether this bias persisted today. It was also unclear whether factors such as the gender of the author could influence the bias.
To help clarify whether these biases continue in children’s literature, the researchers conducted a statistical analysis of the frequency of appearance of male versus female protagonists in 3,280 books, aimed at audiences aged 0 to 16 and published between 1960 and 2020 .
The researchers carried out a statistical analysis of the frequency of appearance of male versus female protagonists in 3,280 books, aimed at an audience from zero to 16 years old and published between 1960 and 2020
They then selected titles that can be purchased online in the US, either in print or digital, and written primarily in English. To allow direct comparison of male versus female main character rates, the team focused on posts that featured a single central protagonist. In addition, it only included titles in which the sex of the author was identifiable.
Growth of female protagonists
The analysis revealed that, since 1960, the proportion of female protagonists has increased, and continues to grow. However, “the books published since 2000 continue to feature a disproportionate number of male main characters,” the experts note.
Something curious that researchers have found is that gender bias is greater in children’s fiction with non-human characters. In contrast, non-fiction titles are more sex-biased when the characters are human.
The study finds that books by male writers have decreased their bias since 1960, but only those that are aimed at younger audiences. Those of authors have also reduced prejudice over time. And lately there are more female leads than male leads in older children’s books and with human characters.
The authors believe that the results “could help guide efforts towards a more equitable representation of gender in children’s books, which could have an impact on child development and societal attitudes.”
Reference:
Stella Lourenco et al. “[[LINK:EXTERNO|||https://plos.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#U0000000Ifis/a/4P000000gN6s/.F_NAi8wCWSWIw5JitUkCPADggyQSruf4KUjehzvhXU|||Sixty years of gender representation in children’s books: Conditions associated with overrepresentation of male versus female protagonists]]”PLOS ONE, December 2021
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