The social representation of material culture and gender in children's books

This study examined the gender-typed portrayal of material culture in Caldecott Award children's books published between 1937 and 1989. Analyses of illustrations found that a larger proportion of female characters was shown using household artifacts, and a larger proportion of male characters was depicted using nondomestic production artifacts. Contrast analyses revealed no change over time in the proportions of female characters portrayed using household and production artifacts. Children's exposure to this representation may result in gender-linked modeling effects on preferences and skills related to technology and other material culture.Portions of this research were presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Society, June 21, 1992, San Diego, CA. The authors wish to thank Loretta Rieser-Danner, Leigh Shaffer, and two anonymous reviewers for helpful comments on earlier drafts.