Abstract
Statement of ProblemThe current study examined the impact of storybooks on preschool (30-66 months old) children’s gendered dress preference. The main hypothesis was that children who were exposed to counter-stereotypical storybooks (e.g., girls wearing masculine clothes and boys wearing feminine clothes) would demonstrate more flexibility in their preference for their own clothing choice as well as others’.
Sources of Data
Fifty-eight children participated in the research sessions that were conducted via Zoom. In the sessions, children completed a pretest, a storybook intervention (either stereotypical or counter-stereotypical storybook), and a posttest. Each session took about 15-20 minutes to complete.
Conclusions Reached
Findings showed that children in the counter-stereotypical condition showed little to no pattern of changes in their preferences for gendered clothing from pre-to-posttest. Across conditions, children displayed stereotyped preferences for gendered clothing. Specifically, children were more likely to accept girls wearing feminine clothes—but not neutral clothing, while children accepted boys wearing masculine and neutral clothing. Findings also showed that younger girls were more flexible in their thinking for boys and girls wearing incongruent clothing, while older girls were more stereotyped in their preferences.