Gender Bias and Stereotypes in Young Adult Literature: A Content Analysis of Novels for Middle School Students

The combination of gender bias and gender stereotypes in children's literature has been analyzed for the past fifty years by numerous researchers. Despite the scrutiny, the research continues to find that females are often under-represented, and both male and female characters display stereotypical traits. In an effort to shape children's attitudes, it has been suggested that it is important to incorporate literature in the classroom that portrays females and males equitably and reflects nontraditional roles and responsibilities. The majority of studies have examined children's picture books through the analysis of title, text, and illustrations. In this study, the titles, main characters, and text of novels considered for use in one North Carolina county's middle school curriculum were analyzed for gender bias and stereotypes. The results showed an under-representation of females as main characters and of males with feminine gender traits