Images of boys and girls in modern children’s literature

Abstract

The relevance of this study stems from the important role of children’s literature in shaping children’s understanding of the world and human relationships (Arzamasceva 2019). Literature serves as a key institution of socialization that helps establish the foundations of social norms, values, and rules (Kletsina 1998). In contemporary society, it is essential to examine how children’s literature reflects humanistic values and promotes equal rights and opportunities for everyone, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, and other factors. Russian scholarship currently lacks comprehensive studies analyzing the representation of boys and girls in modern children’s literature. This study aims to analyze how boys and girls are portrayed in contemporary children’s books, focusing on their appearance, character traits, social roles, interests, and behavior patterns. The research covers literary works for preschool and primary school–aged children written by Russian and international between 2013 and 2025. The methodological framework is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining literary, sociological, and psychological methods. The primary method employed is content analysis of 229 character images (133 boys and 96 girls) from 62 books. The analysis revealed that boys are often portrayed as proactive, competitive and action-oriented leaders who rely on physical strength but display limited emotional openness. In contrast, girls are more often depicted as caring, cooperative, socially engaged, and inclined towards independence and creative self-expression (Zdravomyslova, Gerasimova, Troyan 1998). These findings clearly demonstrate the importance of creating more balanced representations of boys and girls in children’s literature in order to promote equal educational opportunities and overcome gender stereotypes (Voronina 2001).