Analysis of Gender Roles Depicted in Children’s Programs

Analysis of Gender Roles Depicted in Children’s Programs

Question

Gender stereotyping in programs

How were the characters portrayed in their gender stereotypical roles?

How were men and women portrayed equally in a) prosocial roles and b) participation in behavioral activities?

Were the male and female characters’ behaviors, attitudes, and traits heavily preoccupied with gender stereotypes?

Using research and other literature, we discuss how these stories affect the moral and gender identity development of young children. Don’t just remember a show you watched as a kid, be sure to watch the show and give specific examples.

Answer

There are five series that can be analyzed: Mickey Mouse Club House, The Big Bang Theory, Barney and Friends, American Idol, and Dora the Explorer. These shows have a variety of acts of aggression, which are listed below. These shows also discuss the pro-social behavior of the show. In “Bernie and His Friends,” we had different roles representing different gender stereotypes. The most social behavior you can learn at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is working as a team leader and taking friendly responsibilities. Men were likewise portrayed as warriors, and women, conversely, as women who were led by men because they could not fight (Fishman, 2018). The scenario is completely different when compared to the series “Barney & Friends”. Both men and women are portrayed as strong and fun characters. A prosocial role can also be seen in the show The Big Bang: Her Theory, where the host is described as having a kind nature and information being disseminated to help others. But at the same time, the show also showcases that mathematics is for boys, not girls. Other shows, such as “American Idol,” are among the best and are broadcast for entertainment. This entertainment show is also considered one of the shows that promotes gender equality. Both men and women are given equal opportunities to sing based on their talents and abilities (Crowson, 2016).

Speaking of exciting plot activities, the main activities are shown on the American Idol and Friends shows. The Friends show is also one of the surest microcosms of social action. There was a contrast between sexual orientations, both in the importance and prominence of the characters and in the appearance of the characters. As previous studies have shown, there were significantly more male protagonists and supporting characters than female protagonists and supporting characters. The male protagonist spoke twice as much as the female protagonist. Also, induction tests for behavioral and correspondence factors showed that male characters outperformed female characters in almost every respect simply because they appeared more often (Potter & Goldsmith, 2017).

Prosocial behavior on the show

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is one of his signature shows that brings out the fun factor and is casual and upbeat. The Big Bang Theory, on the other hand, is more than just a show, it has a different point of view. It is like a visual physical chemistry lab where students can study and answer questions online (Rozario, Masilamani & Arulchelvan, 2018). While there is no such gender stereotype, the fact that boys can learn faster than girls can affect a child’s thought processes at an early age, and in that sense it is not a good thing to observe. Barney and Friends, American Idol and Dora the Explorer are shows that will brighten up your little one’s mood. In “Bernie and Friends,” the young purple dinosaur showed off many dance moves, games, and songs that were easy to learn and easy to watch. The main focus of this series is sharing compassion and learning. This is a purely creative show that can have a positive impact on children. A major difference regarding gender stereotypes is that dinosaurs are thought to be male, and the evidence for this is that it is a boy’s name, as there are more people named Barney than girls (Martin, 2017). Dora the Explorer is an animated film about a girl who is strong and smart enough to carry her thoughts and things into her tiny bathroom and use her intelligent mind to explore new places. She represented the diversity of Latino culture. Although the depiction of women and minority children in cartoons has improved over the years, stereotypical and racially biased depictions of women and minority groups still remain (Choshen, Fox, & Loewenstein, 2018). “American Idol” is another show that is not bound by gender stereotypes, and its depictions influence the way children think, so it is recommended to watch programs that are both fun and educational.

Conclusion

From the overall analysis, we can therefore conclude that some shows and cartoons portray gender stereotypes, while others are attributed to gender equality. In fact, most cartoons and shows are designed not only to promote equality between boys and girls, but also to harmonize different cultures at the same time.

References

Choshen, L., Fox, L., & Loewenstein, Y. (2018). Dora the explorer: Directed outreaching reinforcement action-selection. arXiv preprint arXiv:1804.04012.

Crowson, T. (2016). Breaking it down Barney style: a framework for cultural interoperability. Canadian Foreign Policy Journal, 22(2), 108-122.

Fishman, M. (2018). Entertaining crime: Television reality programs. Routledge.

Martin, R. (2017). Gender and emotion stereotypes in children’s television. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 61(3), 499-517.

Potter, A., & Goldsmith, B. (2017). Reality’s children: young people and factual entertainment television. Media International Australia, 164(1), 44-55.

Rozario, A. M., Masilamani, V., & Arulchelvan, S. (2018). The case of the missing girls: distribution of gender roles in Indian children’s television programming. Journal of Children and Media, 12(2), 125-142.