Frequency of gender stereotypes displayed in children's picture books

Globalni razvoj utjecao je na stvaranje suvremenog društva koje se neprestano i brzo mijenja. Upravo stalne promjene u društvu trebale bi biti prikazane i u dječjim slikovnicama jer su one „...prvi strukturirani čitateljski materijal namijenjen djeci...“ (Martinović i Stričević, 2011, str. 40) te pomoću njih djeca spoznaju i shvaćaju svijet oko sebe. U današnje vrijeme, osim zastarjelosti tema u slikovnicama, primjećuje se i prisutnost rodnih stereotipa. Mnoga istraživanja provedena na dječjim slikovnicama potvrdila su prisutnost rodnih stereotipa u većoj mjeri (Anderson i Hamilton, 2007; Weitzman, 1972; prema Belamarić, 2009; Ernst, 1995; Temple, 1993; prema Mermelstein, 2018). Istraživanje Declercqa i Moreaua (2012) pokazalo je kako nastaje rodni identitet kod djeteta, a utjecaj rodnih stereotipa na taj proces potvrdili su Kortenhaus i Demarest (1993). Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je utvrditi prisutnost stereotipnih prikaza rodnih uloga u slikovnicama novijeg doba. Istraživanje je temeljeno na analizi sadržaja 100 dječjih slikovnica izabranih slučajnim odabirom izdanih u periodu od 1998. do 2020. godine. Proces istraživanja temelji se na analizi sadržaja teksta i ilustracija s ciljem utvrđivanja učestalosti prikaza stereotipnih rodnih uloga, dominantnosti spola glavnih likova te način prikazivanja rodnih stereotipa. Rezultati provedenog istraživanja ukazuju na učestalost rodnih stereotipa u većini slikovnica koja je najčešće prikazana kroz karakterizaciju likova. U slikovnicama obuhvaćenih ovim istraživanjem dominiraju glavni likovi ženskog spola. Provedenim istraživanjem pokazalo se kako rodni stereotipi i dalje prevladavaju u slikovnicama novijeg doba, a sadržaj se temelji na tradicionalnim vrijednostima. Rezultati ukazuju na potrebu osvješćivanja i prepoznavanja rodnih stereotipa u slikovnicama, osobito od strane odgojitelja, kako bi se za rad s djecom u odgojno-obrazovnoj ustanovi odabrale slikovnice koje promiču rodnu jednakost.Global development formed a modern society which keeps rapidly changing. These changes in society should also be presented in children's picture books because they are "the first structured reading material intended for children" (Martinović and Stričević, 2011, p. 40) and with their help, children learn and understand the world around them. Nowadays, in addition to obsolescence of themes in picture books, the picture books noticeably contain gender stereotypes. Many studies conducted on children's picture books have confirmed the presence of gender stereotypes to a greater extent (Anderson i Hamilton, 2007; Weitzman, 1972; according to Belamarić, 2009; Ernst, 1995; Temple, 1993; according to Mermelstein, 2018). Research by Declercq and Moreau (2012) showed how a child’s gender identity forms, and the influence of gender stereotypes on this process was confirmed by Kortenhaus and Demarest (1993). The goal of this research is to determine the presence of stereotypical depictions of gender roles in recent picture books. The research is based on the analysis of the content of 100 children's picture books selected at random. The picture books included in this research date from 1998. to 2020. The process of this research is based on the analysis of text and illustrations content with the aim of determining the frequency of presentation of stereotypical gender roles, the dominance of the gender of the main characters and the way of presenting gender stereotypes. The results of the research point out the frequency of gender stereotypes in most picture books, which is most often shown through characterization. Main female characters dominate in the picture books included in this. The research showed that gender stereotypes still prevail in recent picture books, and that the content itself is still based on traditional values. The emphasis of this research is on the awareness and recognition of gender stereotypes in children's picture books, especially with educators, so that they could choose picture books that promote gender equality