Discuss The Role Of Underrepresentation Of Women In Children's Books

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Intro
Have you ever thought that young children are like a sponge; they suck in all information they get? They get this information from parents, peers, the world around them and especially from books. Books are the main source for young children to get the knowledge from. Often we do not realize that many different issues may come up when kids are choosing a book to read. Even in their young age, kids assume that the color of the book or the character on the book cover determines the gender of the person. Many books that are read to the children don’t equally portray gender. Even in modern society, sexism exists in children’s books where underrepresentation of female in children’s books causes negative gender stereotyping and limited aspiration. …show more content…

All people are equal, but for some reason, when it comes to the gender, stereotypical portrayals still appear in the children’s books. “The 1999 study shows that the Caldecott-wining books reviewed from 1972 to 1997 featured 811 male appearances versus 508 female appearances” (Harlin & Morgan, 2009). The reader gets disconnected from the book when he feels that there is a difference in gender.

2. Often women are underestimated in the children’s books. They are not aloud to live free life like men do. “Female main characters would more often be portrayed indoors than outdoors; the reverse would hold true for male characters”. (Hamilton, Anderson, Broaddus, & Young, p. 759). But women are strong and they can do everything. Just like Hillary Clinton, woman can ran for president. Woman can be professors, business lady, or lawyer. Women can make rulers or they can be strong and go to the