Genus i bilderböcker för barn : En analys av bilderböcker för barn ur ett genusteoretiskt perspektiv

Sammanfattning: The purpose of this qualitative analysis was to research if and how gender is portrayed in picture books for children in Swedish preschools. Based on Hirdman’s gender system theory(1988, 2001) I analyzed the book characters in text and illustrations, to see if gender contracts between the sexes are visible, and what dichotomies might be challenged. A minor Swedish municipality's public library provided statistics that showed five of the most lent picturebooks by preschools in 2021. I then analyzed these books using narratology and analysis tools such as analysis questions and the concept of dichotomy. The analysis shows that gender is portrayed in a traditionally stereotypical way in every book but in varying degrees. Even in the books that don’t portray gender very clearly, it still shows, mainly through the illustration’s stereotypical gender markers such as certain clothes, colors, or attributes. The analysis portrays a gender contract between the female and male sexes in every book but in different ways and degrees. In some, it’s the hierarchy as in male superiority that shows, in others, it’s the separation of the sexes. Dichotomies between the sexes are both challenged and maintained in different ways, and female characters challenge them more often than male characters do. I conclude that picture books in Swedish preschools portray gender and gender relations in a stereotypical manner to a degree, whether it’s expressed through text, illustrations or iconotext. These findings are supported by Hirdman (1988, 2001) and previous research.