July 2022
It seems to me like we go backwards with Seven Miles Boots
August 2017
Books or shoes….. gender stereo types and sexism don’t seem to shift easily.
May 2011
Yesterday I read about a study of Florida State University (USA). It was about children’s books published between 1900 and 2000 and it warns that they reinforce gender inequality as there are twice as many heroes than heroines in them. If you have a look at animal characters it is even three times more male main characters than female ones. Only in the 1990’s, there was nearly equality between male and female main characters but not with animal ones. They were still twice as likely male than female.
I have been reading books like Ronia the Robber’s Daughter and Pippi Longstocking when I was a child and am somehow astonished that there is such an enormous difference. I am also disappointed that the gender still seems to be of such importance. Should a good book not be able to develop one’s knowledge, character and identity no matter of the gender of the main character?
The Telegraph on “Children’s books are ‘sexist and enforce gender inequality”
Thanks to @tiniaden for making me aware of the article!
July 2022
Sieht für mich so aus, als ob wir mit Siebenmeilenstiefel rückwärts gehen.
August 2017
Buecher oder Schuhe… Geschlechtsstereotypen und Sexismus ist schwer loszuwerden!
May 2011
Gerstern habe ich ueber eine Studie der Florida State University Yesterday gelesen. Es ging dabei um Kinderbuecher, die zwischen 1900 und 2000 veroeffentlicht wurden und warnt davor, dass sie das Geschlechtsungleichgewicht verstaerkt. Es gibt offensichtlich zweimal mehr Helden als Heldinnen in den Buechern. Wenn man sich Tiere als Hauptgestalten ansieht ist es noch schlimmer. Da gibt es dreimal mehr maennliche Hauptcharaktere als weibliche. Nur in den 90igern gab es fast ein Gleichgewicht zwischen menschlichen Helden und Heldinnen aber bei den Tieren waren es immer noch zweimal mehr maennliche.
Ich habe als Kind Buecher wie Ronja Raeubertochter und Pippi Langstrumpf gelesen und war irgendwie erstaunt, dass es so eine grosse Differenz gibt. Ich bin auch enttaeuscht, dass das Geschlecht immer noch so eine grosse Rolle zu spielen scheint. Sollte ein gutes Buch nicht faehig sein, das eigene Wissen, den eigenen Charakter und die eigene Identitaet zu staerken egal welches Geschlecht der Hauptcharakter hat?
Dank an
@tiniaden, der mich auf diesen Artikel aufmerksam gemacht hat
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🇪🇺🐝 bi~lingual: English/German, 🌻 🙋♀️ Thinker, Poetess, Blogger ☕ 💑 happily married 2 best husband in world 🌎 & 🌼 proudly owned by a rescue greyhound. 🇪🇺
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Interesting, Bee, I had not thought about it at all. Enid Blyton was pretty equal with her male and female characters and I read a lot of her books as a girl. I can’t remember ever thinking about this at all and I still don’t. I have a mix of male and female in my books but the MC is female which is easier for me to write and relate too.
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This is quite an old post and article snd I never thought of it either. From a readers point of view I can relate as much to Frodo than to Pipi but according to the experts it makes a difference apparently. Who knows… 🤔
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At some stage in my 40s I started to focus on female characters in reading and writing (Ah sir, did you now? Would care to talk about it?… No, not that way! I reply, then give up trying to explain)
Anyway, in my journey it appeared that male writers in their attempt to portray positive women seemed to have an urge to make them taller, and have bodies resistant to visible physical damage, even if the character did wear but skimpy bikinis.
That seems to be settling down, but it still is difficult to read of any ‘ordinary’ women being strong characters; they have to have some attribute or extreme motivation. Maybe it’s because men of little talent or character are still trying to be dominate in this world, solely on the basis of their gender that women have to appear stronger.
I opted for Fantasy (no! Not that sort!), where everyone can be ‘odd’ or exceptional because the world is weird anyway, and central female characters are kitted in sensible heavy-duty clothing, I probably still ended up making male assumptions (I try my best and be continue to be rude to misogynists and pathetic incels…now I’m rambling, time to end this reply)
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Thanks for being rude to mysoginists 🤗 we women appreciate it. 🙏 I suspect we all have our blind spots when it comes to creating characters. Writers are human after all. The important bit is that you try to make a differenceand you learn and I think that’s terrific 😀
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Writing. Ever the learning curve😃
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