Gender Stereotypes in Children's Books: their prevalence and influence on cognitive and affective development

In the 1960s and 1970s many researchers in the USA noted the prevalence of gender stereotypes in books for children. Numerous studies showed that females were typically portrayed as passive, dependent and generally incapable, and that males were typically portrayed as active, independent and generally competent. Stereotype patterns were consistent across a variety of reading materials, including picture‐books, fiction for older readers and school‐books. Some researchers questioned what the potential effects of such stereotypes might be on readers, but few examined these questions empirically. A review of this literature led us to question whether increased awareness about the potentially harmful effects of gender stereotypes had led to their elimination from books intended for young readers. This paper describes the data we collected on a set of picture‐books. We found that while the prevalence of stereotypes has decreased somewhat, the decreases in quantity and in kind have not been statistically meaningful. A discussion of the effects of gender stereotypes on affective development and on cognitive development is also presented.