This week I found an article that also talked about the gender-roles in children’s cartoons. I thought it was interesting that even female superheroes were depicted with a negative stereotype. For some reason I expected that they would be viewed as independent and strong females compared to “normal” females. I’m going to try to find more articles along these lines and see if there is a difference between the views of older and more recent shows.
Arthur, Raney A. and Kaysee Baker. “Equally Super?: Gender-Role Stereotyping of Superheros in Children’s Animated Programs.” Mass Communication & Society. 10.1 (2007): p25-41. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 20 Feb 2011.
According to Raney A. Arthur and Kaysee Baker, cartoons are among the most popular children’s television show on the air. These shows use stereotypes to help children learn what it is to be male or female; however, the representation of males and females is very disproportionate. In their study of cartoon superheroes, Arthur and Baker found that males outnumber females by more than 30 percent. Additionally, ethnicity was not the same as the real world percentages with Caucasians out numbering all other races. The female superheroes were also considered average size while the males were much more muscular. Females were more emotional, cared about their appearance and were more likely to ask question while male superheroes were usually angry. At the end of the article, the authors urge that more studies should be conducted so that the effects of the media on children can be completely understood. They also say that the most important defense of negative stereotypes is teaching children how to analyze critically what is being presented to them.
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