Analysis of gender role representation: What required reading in schools has to say about men and women?

Rodne uloge i njihov značaj za društvo vrlo su aktualne teme i predmet mnogih rasprava. One se razvijaju procesom koji se naziva rodno tipiziranje, a kreće već u ranoj predškolskoj dobi te igra ulogu u različitim situacijama - od odabira igračke za igru u djetinjstvu do odabira karijere u kasnijoj dobi. Djeca uče o rodnim ulogama i rodnim stereotipima preko informacija iz okoline koju čine obitelj, odgajatelji, učitelji, vršnjaci te šira socijalna okolina, uključujući internetske sadržaje, televizijske programe, časopise, slikovnice, romane, itd. Prijašnja istraživanja pokazala su kako takvi mediji sadrže rodno stereotipne poruke o muškarcima i ženama. Neka novija istraživanja pokazuju kako dolazi do promjene ženskih prikaza, no muški ostaju isti. Književna djela za djecu vrlo su malo istraživana, posebice u Hrvatskoj, a čitanje istih može utjecati na stavove i vjerovanja osobe. S obzirom na to, cilj ovog istraživanja bio je opisati prikaze muških i ženskih likova u književnim djelima namijenjenima djeci nižih razreda osnovne škole. Uzorak su činile obavezne lektire od 1. do 4. razreda osnovne škole u Hrvatskoj. Kvalitativna analiza pokazala je da su i muški i ženski likovi većinski rodno stereotipno prikazani. Uz stereotipne karakteristike, kod muških likova ističu se i česta rodno nestereotipna ponašanja, poput brige prema sebi i drugima, dok kod ženskih likova postoji značajno manje rodno nestereotipnih primjera asertivnosti i agresivnosti. S obzirom na rezultate ovog istraživanja, različite intervencije poput razgovora o prikazima muških i ženskih likova prilikom diskusije o djelima na satu ili organiziranjem događaja za djecu s raznovrsnijim i manje rodno stereotipnim djelima omogućilo bi da djeca vide sebe i osobe suprotna spola u potpunijem i boljem svijetlu.Gender roles and their impact on the society are very current topics and subjects of many discussions. They develop through a process called gender typing which starts already in early childhood and plays a role in different situations - from choosing a toy to play with to choosing a career in later life. Children learn about gender roles and gender stereotypes through information from the environment, which consists of their family, teachers, peers, and broader social environment, including internet media, TV, magazines, colouring books, novels, etc. Previous research has shown that such media contains gender stereotypical messages about men and women. Recent studies showed that there are few changes in depiction of women, but depiction of men remains unchanged. Research of literary works for children is lacking, especially in Croatia, but reading them can have an impact on person’s attitudes and beliefs. Having that in mind, the aim of this study was to investigate how male and female characters are depicted in literary works for children in lower grades of elementary school. The sample contained eight required readings from the 1st to 4th grades of elementary school in Croatia. Qualitative analysis showed that both male and female characters are mostly depicted in gender stereotypes. In addition to stereotypical characteristics, male characters also exhibit frequent gender non-stereotypical behaviors, such as caring for themselves and others, while there are significantly fewer gender non-stereotypical examples of assertiveness and aggressiveness in female characters. Considering the results of this study, various interventions, such as talking about the depiction of male and female characters when discussing books in class or organizing events for children with more diverse and less gender-stereotyped representations would allow children to see themselves and people of the opposite sex in a more complete and better light