Gendered environmental themes in children's media

Abstract

The natural environment is commonly perceived as feminine-oriented by society, however the origins of this orientation remain unclear. This study addresses the gendered lens applied to nature during gender socialization through children’s animated television shows in the United States. 52 children’s animated series airing from 2000 to 2020 discuss the environment through the use of rhetorical tropes. These series are further examined for reoccurring patterns showing how environmental narratives are gendered within children’s animated shows. The results of this study find that feminine-oriented behaviors are most often assigned to pro-environmental sentiments and used to promote environmental action through emotional reasoning tactics. Masculine-oriented behaviors often resulted in inconclusive environmental action or continued notions of eco-friendly behaviors as feminine. In shows without strong masculine or feminine presentations, environmental narratives were more likely shown through characterization or used as an educational tool for younger audiences. These findings can be used in future research exploring the effects of gendered messaging on environmental attitudes throughout life as well as provide a base for continuing this line of research in other cultural regions.