Gender in Children's Television
Exploring Gender and Media across the World

Children all over the world are growing up with media as an integral part of their lives. In most cultures, the primary medium of entertainment for children is television. From television, children appropriate its contents and develop an inner representation of the world and its order. Unfortunately, there is a lack of substantive research in a cross-national perspective. The research focus “Gender in Children’s Television - Exploring Gender and Media across the World” therefore, will be twofold: the representation of gender in children’s television and the perceptions of children regarding the televised representation of gender, across the world.

A. Children’s Television Worldwide: Gender Representation: International, comparative, content and ideological analysis of television representations of gender. Renowned scholars will analyse samples from 25 countries.

B. Focus group discussion and survey of approximately 70 teenagers from seven regions of the world addressing perceptions of real and televised constructions of gender. Project management: Prof. Dr. Divya McMillin (U of Washington).

C. Expert interviews of over 90 producers from more than 60 countries regarding how they construct gender and handle issues of gender during programme production. Project management: Prof. Dr. Dafna Lemish (U of Tel Aviv)

D. Discussion, interview and drawings of children worldwide about their view of gender depictions and interpretation of gender stereotypes in TV. Project management: Dr. Maya Götz (IZI).

Australia: Stephanie Donald, Damien Spry
Belgium: Frieda Saeys
Brazil: Ana Helena Meirelles Reis
Canada: Micheline Frenette
Chile: Anghard N. Valdivia
China: Zhang Hongxia
Cuba: Pablo E. Ramos Rivero, Ailynn Torres Santana
Fiji: Charu Uppal
Germany/Austria/Switzerland: Maya Götz, Elke Schlote, Corinna Kramp, Hans-Bernd Brosius, Reinhard Winter, Barbara Stauber
Great Britain: Cindy Carter, Margaret Gallagher
Hong Kong: Ka Wah (Kara) Chan
Hungary: Kati Lustyik
India: Divya McMillin, Ammu Joseph
Israel: Dafna Lemish
Netherlands: Juliette Walma van der Molen
Norway: Tone Kolbjønsen
Slovenia: Martina Pestaj
South Africa: Jeanne Prinsloo
USA: JoEllen Fisherkeller, Norma Pecora, Rebecca Hains, Ellen Seiter, Stacy Smith

Results were published in TELEVIZION 2008:
"Girls and Boys and Television"

"Children's TV Worldwide"

A few reminders for more gender sensitivity in children's TV