Sexuality in Children’s
Literature
Everything we read constructs us, makes us who we
are, by presenting our image of ourselves as
girls and women, as boys and men
(Mem Fox, 1993).
• Besides being an important resource for developing
children’s language skills, children’s books play a
significant part in transmitting a society’s culture to
children.
• Gender roles are an important part of this culture. How
genders are portrayed in children’s books thus
contributes to the image children develop of their own
roles and those of their gender in society.
• Sexual identity or identity in relation to sexuality is an
important aspect of everyone’s identity whether they
wish it to be or not.
Gender bias exists
These features are general trends seen by examining a
large number of children’s books.
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Male figures dominate.
In stories with female protagonists, plots often revolve around males.
Girls are often portrayed as acted upon rather than active.
Females tend to be sweet, naive, conforming, and dependent.
Boys tend to be strong, adventurous, independent, and capable.
Boys have roles as fighters, adventurers and rescuers (and warriors).
Girls tend to be caretakers, mothers, princesses in need of rescuing, and
characters that support the male figure.
Girls achieve their goals because others help them.
Boys achieve goals because of ingenuity and/or perseverance.
If females are initially represented as active and assertive, they are often
portrayed in a passive light toward the end of the story (or they may die).
Girls who retain their active qualities are the exception.
So what?
• The manner in which genders are represented in
children’s literature impacts children’s attitudes and
perceptions of gender-appropriate behavior in society.
– Sexism in literature quietly conditions boys and girls to accept
the way they see and read the world, thus reinforcing gender
images.
– This reinforcement keeps children from questioning existing
social relationships.
– Hope: At the same time, however, books containing images that
conflict with gender stereotypes provide children the opportunity
to re-examine their gender beliefs and assumptions. Thus, texts
can provide children with alternative role models and inspire
them to adopt more egalitarian gender attitudes.
Foucault: The History of Sexuality
Sex vs. Sexuality
• Sex is biological.
• Sexuality is an idea constructed through
language (discursively).
• According to Foucault, Western cultures
have separated sexuality from sex as a
way to regulate it.
Foucault: The History of Sexuality
• Discourse is important for shaping identity.
• Sexuality (and its discourse) exists as a way for people
to get power.
• Institutions (government, schools, religious groups,
families, etc.)
– repress sexuality (cover private parts, don’t talk about certain
things)
– while talking about it all the time (advertisement, different
clothing for boys and girls, jokes).
– This makes sexuality more potent. The more it is publicly taboo,
the more it is privately wished for.
• This creates a society of sexually repressed and
obsessed people.
• There is power in release from social constraints.
Foucault: The History of Sexuality
• The specific pleasure of toying with the
discourse of sexuality is grounded in the
desire to at once control and exploit
sexuality.
– How do adults speak to children about sex?
– What stories do parents tell children about
where babies come from?
• This all leads to a discourse that pretends
to cloak, but actually exposes sexuality.
Judith Butler: Gender Troubles
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Sex vs. Gender
Sex is biological
Gender is a culturally constructed
expression of sexual difference.
Male vs. female
Masculine vs. feminine
Judith Butler: Gender Troubles
• This distinction is not enough.
• There is a problem with binaries of
masculine and feminine as well as male
female
• It excludes, by its nature gay, lesbian,
bisexual and transsexual (GLBT)
individuals
• These people become “incoherent and
unintelligible as human subjects.”
Judith Butler: Perfomativity
• In linguistic theory, a statement that performs an act by
the very fact of being uttered is called a performative
statement.
– For example, “I promise to pay you the money I owe you.” Is a
statement that is itself the promise it speaks of.
• Gender, according to Butler, is performed in a similar
way.
• “What we take to be real is, in fact, a changeable and
revisable reality
• Children’s literature is part of a culturally regulated frame
that determines what sorts of gendered being appears to
be natural.