Gender stereotypes in soundtracks for children

Abstract

Identifying and addressing gender stereotypes contributes to reducing sexist ideas a social discrimination against women and some men. The increasing concern about its influence in education has intensified interest in analysing the cultural products consumed by children. This study focuses on the soundtracks of animated films: a sample of 25 films are analysed, comprising a total of 62 songs, to examine the presence of gender stereotypes and their disruption across five categories: bodily, attitudinal, social, affective-sexual, and musical. A qualitative methodology was employed, through the GS_5x4 stereotype analysis table (adapted and revalidated with CVI = .80). The results revealed that soundtracks until 2010 predominantly reinforced stereotypes; from 2012 onwards, the portrayal of stereotype-breaking elements increases, particularly for female characters. This trend is more pronounced in the songs than in the films as a whole. The affective-sexual dimension is the most stereotyped category, while the attitudinal one shows the highest degree of stereotype disruption.