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If you're a mom of boys, you've probably noticed that there's no shortage of heros in the books your little guys love, from Skippy John Jones to Hot Rod Hamster to Danny and the Dinosaur. And although strong female heroines are out there -- Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy and Angelina Ballerina to name a few -- a recent study suggests that the world of children’s literature is a big old boy’s club where mostly male characters save the day. Apparently, when it comes to kids' books, there's significant gender imbalance.
Based on studying more than 6,000 children’s books written between 1990 and 2000, Janice McCabe, a professor of sociology at Florida State University, found that males are central characters in 57% of children's books published each year, while just 31% have female central characters. Cuddly four-legged protagonists are no exception: Male animals are central characters in 23% of books per year, while female animals star in only 7.5%.
The study also suggests that some of the bias comes from us: mommies seem to be labeling gender-neutral characters as males when we read stories to our kiddos. (I admit it: I’m totally guilty of this. Random bunnies or pigs with gender-neutral names or no names at all get called “him” in my readings. Shame on me!)
Back in my day, a princess would sleep for a 100 years waiting for a kiss from her prince. Today, it's true, princesses save themselves, tell the price to hit the road and kick major ass along the way. More of these heroines would hardly be a bad thing!
