This Master’s thesis focuses on studying gender stereotypes children in early childhood use in assigning gender to animal characters on illustrations. The aim of this research is to determine which gender the children assign to the animal characters when they are drawn in gender determined activities, professions or emotional states and what is their criteria in assigning gender. The research also tries to answer the question whether the child’s own gender plays a role in choosing a colour of a book cover and in assigning gender to animal characters on illustrations and if it does, in what way. The research had 71 participants (34 girls and 37 boys), aged between 5 and 6. Firstly, while participating in a semi-structured interview, the children had to choose one of three book covers presented to them (a typical girly one, a typical boys’ one and a gender neutral one) and they had to explain their choice. Then the children were presented with 19 illustrations of bears participating in more or less gender stereotypical activities, wearing different clothes, accessories and objects. The children had to assign gender to every illustration and explain their choice. The results showed that children’s answers were gender stereotypical. The important differences between genders showed in a choice of a book cover and in assigning gender to a bear in two illustrations, where boys were more gender stereotypical than girls. Children’s criteria in assigning gender were analysed using qualitative analysis, while the most recurrent categories children used in assigning gender to bears on illustrations were analysed using the grounded theory. The results showed that children based their choices on their social environment, colours and the appearance of the characters. There were no important differences between girls and boys in the choice of criteria in assigning gender.
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