‘The change happens with our kids’: parent perspectives on gender diversity in sport and children’s literature

Abstract

ABSTRACT Books have an influential role in children’s understandings of identity and the (re)production of and resistance to social norms. With limited diversity in children’s literature about sport, two children’s books were created that had as their central plot a challenge to dominant gender norms in ice hockey and in figure skating. Nine parents with children 10 years old and younger read the books and then participated in semi-structured interviews. Informed by queer theory, a critical discursive analysis of the transcripts was conducted. While gender diversity and sport remained central considerations, parents also reflected on the role that books might play in educating children as well as adults. Three interrelated themes were created: open dialogue, modelling action, and empowering exploration. Findings suggest that children’s books can be leveraged as educational tools for both children and the adults in their lives, including but not limited to destabilizing dominant gender discourse in sport and the larger cultural context.