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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol. 8, No. 6
Publication Date: June 25, 2021
DOI:10.14738/assrj.86.10228. Hare, S. C., & Benham, M. (2021). Life According to Popular Children’s Films. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(6). 10-
21.
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
Life According to Popular Children’s Films
Sara C. Hare
Indiana University Southeast, United States
Mariah Benham
Indiana University Southeast, United States
ABSTRACT
This content analysis uses data gathered from the 150 top-grossing children’s
animated films from 1990 to 2020 (based on North American theater sales) to
examine the gender disparities and stereotypes in children’s media. The study
shows that female characters are underrepresented in lead roles (14%), main
gangs (28.1%), and speaking roles (27.2%). The central female characters are
portrayed stereotypically. When female characters appear, they are more likely to
be portrayed in a romantic and family relationship than male characters. However,
films with a greater percentage of women writers are correlated with more
speaking roles for female characters. The impact of media on children’s
development is indisputable due to the way technology has become ingrained in
day-to-day life. The lack of representation of female characters reinforces the
stereotypical portrayals that negatively affectthe self-esteem of girls and train boys
to expect an androcentric world. The skewed and stereotypical portrayal of female
characters fails to accurately represent the diversity of other parts of the world.
While many of these films are produced in the West, they are widely distributed and
consumed all over the world.
Keywords: Children’s Films, Media, Gender Inequality, Animation, Gender Stereotypes
INTRODUCTION
For members of Generation Z (those born between 1997 and 2015), media consumption has
always been a large part of their lives. The technology boom of the 2000s meant that while the
world of media was advancing, access was also expanding. The United States Census Bureau
noted that only 18% of U.S. households used the internet in 1997, compared to 82% in 2016.
The Computer and Internet Use in the United States:2016 report also indicated that U.S.
households with children under the age of 18 were more likely to have home access to the
internet [1]. As technology develops, computers, smartphones, and other smart devices
continue to become even more accessible to the public. Media usage has been on a noticeable
upwards trend since the early 2000s among the younger population, and it is continuing to
occupy more space in our school, work, and personal lives. With that in mind, we have to
consider the impact on young minds.
The Kaiser Family Foundation researched the rates, patterns, and changes in children’s media
usage from 1999 to 2009 [2]. Their study, spread across three separate waves, is important in
understanding the role of media in children’s lives. It is one of the largest sources of information
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Hare, S. C., & Benham, M. (2021). Life According to Popular Children’s Films. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 8(6). 10-21.
URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.86.10228
about media usage of youth in the United States. Key findings of the 2009 wave noted that young
people used media seven days a week for an average of over seven hours on a typical day. When
considering the influence on mental health, heavy media consumers report lower levels of
personal contentment and lower grades compared to moderate and light media users [2]. It is
also important to consider other variables that may influence media exposure and usage such
as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, location/access, gender, and age.
In the United States, while media usage is increasing overall, there are key subpopulations that
consume media at a higher rate than others. Notably, children ages 11 to 14 have the highest
overall rates of media exposure of those between the ages of 8 and 18 [2]. The Census report
indicates that boys have more media exposure than girls on a daily basis, but girls are one of
the noted groups in the Martins and Harrison longitudinal study [3] that experience a decline
in their self-esteem from television exposure. The U.S. Census Bureau report [1] indicates that
despite black and Hispanic youth consuming a significantly higher amount of media than white
youth on average, white boys are more likely to experience an increase in self-esteem while
black youth experience a decrease in self-esteem [3]. What does the decline in self-esteem from
these specific youth groups suggest about their portrayal in the media?
Martins and Harrison [3] discuss the importance of self-esteem in children in their study, citing
how previous research has shown that low self-esteem is linked to at-risk behaviors such as
alcohol use, drug abuse, disordered eating, and suicidal ideation. Media is extremely powerful
and shapes our reality, whether we are aware of it or not. Furthermore, the misconceptions and
stereotypes of different races and ethnic groups, minorities, and gender roles are further
perpetuated by their portrayal in the mass media [4]. Forcing children and people of color into
rigid and stereotypical roles or personas severely limits their accurate representation in the
media. However, the stereotypes do not only affect the targeted minorities of society, they also
influence how the rest of society views themselves and others.
In the 2018 documentary, This Changes Everything, Geena Davis, Taraji P. Henson, Sandra Oh,
Reese Witherspoon and others who have worked in Hollywood discuss the gender disparities
present in the industry [4]. Not only does the inequality exist in front of the camera with fewer
speaking roles for women and the stereotypes surrounding their looks, personality, and
physical appearance, but it also exists behind the camera. Despite producing successful films,
women directors are not given as many subsequent jobs due to the sexist perception that
“women aren’t assertive enough to direct” or poor reviews from male critics. Women writers
are brought into writers’ room only to ‘fluff’ up the female characters who appear stagnant and
“otherized.” When all of the directors, writers, producers, and other content creators are men,
the female characters are viewed from the male gaze. There is no discussion of the female’s
motivations or emotions. Instead, the women onscreen are transformed into props for the male
characters to use and work around. Women fill supporting roles for men’s stories, treated as if
they are less important and less valuable than their onscreen counterparts.
Media has a significant impact on our society. Bandura [5] stated that people view their own
reality in a different way when constantly exposed to the human-crafted or symbolic worlds
found in media. This idea is reflected in the documentary This Changes Everything [4] in which
the actor Geena Davis argued that reality follows film, and this is why representation in the
industry is so important. When the only stories being shown focus on the cis-gender white male
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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol. 8, Issue 6, June-2021
Services for Science and Education – United Kingdom
experience, the world as a whole is misrepresented. Despite a majority of top-grossing films
being produced in the United States, they are consumed all over the world and in such a diverse
world, there are so many more stories to be told than those of the traditional white male.
With so many of the stories within films focusing on white men paired with the lack of
representation for women and persons of other races or cultures, how does this influence
young viewers? Bian, Cimpian, and Leslie [6] conducted a study that analyzed when gendered
notions of intelligence and brilliance begin to appear in young children. Their study revealed
that not only did these gender stereotypes regarding brilliance and its association with the male
gender begin to impact children around age six, but that these notions even influence the
activities that children choose to pursue. The stereotypes surrounding intelligence and gender
will continue to influence their interests as the children mature. Could it be possible that the
media designed for and geared towards children are reaffirming these stereotypical notions?
This study analyzed the 150 top-grossing animated films from 1990-2020. Researchers focused
on the parity of female and male characters and gathered information regarding appearance,
intimate bonds, and occupational roles to assess the presence of stereotypical roles and traits.
We also looked at how the gender of the authors and screenwriters correlated with onscreen
gender representation. In its entirety, this study adds to prior research concerning gender
parity in children’s media, and compiles evidence that could encourage film studios to construct
media that accurately represents global diversity.
LITERATURE REVIEW
Previous studies have found that females are significantly underrepresented in children’s
literature, television programs, educational software and videos games [7]. Despite claims of
equality between men and women, the ratio of males to females in top-grossing box office films
in North America from 1990 to 2005 remained unchanged at 2.6 males for every 1 female
onscreen [8]. The ratio of males to females in top-grossing films has remained unchanged for
15 years, despite increasing advocacy for equality in the industry. More recent studies from the
Geena Davis Institute [9,10] reveal that female leads are still a minority in both family films
(48.0%) and children’s television episodes (45.0%). The percentage of female leads in family
films has been on a noted upward trend, with 48.0% being a historic high. In children’s
television episodes, the See Jane TV study percentage of female leads has decreased from a peak
of 56% in 2017 to 45% in 2019 [10]. When conducting analyses on the top-grossing films of
2019, Lauzen [11] found that 40% of films featured a female protagonist and 37% had a female
as a major character. She noted that this jump from 31% to 40% is a dramatic increase in female
representation in top-grossing films. This is where we developed our first hypotheses:
H1: There are more male lead characters than female.
H2: The main gang is composed of more male than female characters.
H3: Female-led films have more female characters in the main gang than male-led
films.
Not only are female characters underrepresented in children’s media, but when they are found
in children’s media, they are riddled with stereotypes and double standards [7,12]. Female
characters are held to a different standard than their male counterparts in a variety of ways --
from age, to personality and body type, to occupational or leadership characteristics. Lauzen
and Dozier [12] found that female characters continue to be overrepresented in their 20s and