Sex Roles and Cultural Diversity in Recent Award Winning Picture Books for Young Children

Abstract

Abstract This study updates previous research on how gender is being presented in award-winning picture books for young children by replicating a study that was conducted 10 years ago by Collins, Ingoldsby, and Dellmann (1984). This was accomplished by content-analyzing Caldecott Award and Honor Books from 1989 to 1992 and comparing these results with Collins, Ingoldsby, and Dellman (1984). A second goal was to extend the research design used in prior investigations by examining central characters in the 1989—1992 sample for the portrayal of both androgyny and cultural diversity. Chi-square analysis documented a positive shift in the portrayal of nontraditional gender roles, for both males and females in the most recent award-winners. The portrayal of culturally diverse central characters was also found to be a predominant feature of the 1989–1992 sample. Implications for anti-bias and multicultural early childhood curriculum development are discussed.