The characteristics of male and female characters in children's literature

This paper presents the findings of research carried out with the aim of gaining an understanding of the characteristics of male and female child characters in children's literature. "Characteristics" in our research refers to the representation, role and description of male and female characters. The sample consisted of 32 literary texts with child characters in readers used in the first and second grades of primary school. Using the descriptive method and the technique of content analysis, it was established that male characters are almost twice as represented as female characters and that they are more frequently the main characters in a text. With regard to character description, inquisitiveness, imaginativeness and resourcefulness are the most common traits of male characters, while kindness and sensibility are characteristics ascribed only to female characters. It is surprising that the female characters did not have negative traits, leading to the conclusion that their characteristics are more positively rated than the characteristics and actions of male characters. Based on our data, we can conclude that gender stereotypes are present in the descriptions of male and female characters, and we therefore invite readers to take part in further discussions and a more comprehensive analysis of the representation of child characters both in literary works and in other cultural products.