We’d all like to think that times have changed in terms of how girls are portrayed in movies, books and on TV.
Some of us remember reading books that reinforced old-fashioned stereotypes about girls and their role in the world; i.e. the princess waiting to be rescued, or the mild meek girl.
Nowadays, these notions are outdated, yet it seems children’s books haven’t moved on as much as we hoped.
This mum and daughter recently carried out an interesting experiment on a section of children’s books in a library.
First, they removed any books without a male character - in total, just three books.
Then, they began removing books without female characters. In contrast, they removed a whopping 76 books from the shelves.
This is backed up by a 2011 study of 5,000 children’s books, which found 25 percent of books featured zero female characters.
Then, they began removing books where female characters don’t speak. This involved removing a further 65 books.
In a Time Magazine compilation of 100 of the best children’s books of all time, only 53 of the featured books had speaking female characters.
Then, they removed books where the female characters featured were princesses. Out of a full bookshelf, only a handful of books remained.
These books were the few which featured female characters who spoke and had dreams, goals and aspirations.
This video was produced by Rebel Girls, two women - Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo - who were concerned about the lack of suitable books available for young girls.
Elena explains that growing up, none of the books she read featured a girl who took her destiny into her own hands.
In all of the books she read, the female protagonists relied on help from a prince, a brother or even a mouse to achieve their dreams or full potential.
They decided to do something about this and publish their own book, Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls.
This is a collection of 100 real life heroines' stories; about women and girls who achieved amazing things against the odds, in a storybook format.
The stories feature women who became artists, judges, sports stars etc., and women from different backgrounds and races.
Among the women featured include Frida Kahlo, Venus and Serena Williams, Maya Angelou and Helen Keller.
The women had to crowdfund to publish their book, but it’s since become the most crowdfunded book in history.
A recent review in The Guardian explains: “The stories are not sugar-coated, and the emphasis is on overcoming obstacles and persevering, the book’s dedication page urging readers to “dream bigger, aim higher, fight harder.”
We think this a fantastic book for all children, and we’re grateful to Elena and Francesca for creating it.
