Gender Messages in Parenting Magazines

A Content Analysis

Bibliographic Data

ID12171978
AuthorsJennifer M Greve Spees (Colorado State University, corresponding author), Toni Schindler Zimmerman (0000-0001-6940-3359, Colorado State University)
Year2003
Volume14
Issue3-4
Pages73-100
Publication date2003-08-11
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Feminist Family Therapy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0895-2833 • E-ISSN: 1540-4099
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1300/j086v14n03_05
OpenAlexW1480961520
LanguageDE
Citations received5
References cited36

Gender stereotypes, common in the home, school, and media, frequently limit the opportunities and experiences of young children. This study examined the gender messages present in parenting magazines of the year 2000. A total of 63 articles from the three top-selling parenting magazines were analyzed. Overall, 38.1% of the articles were gender-stereotypical, 41.3% were gender-neutral, and 20.6% encouraged non-stereotyped behavior and in our study were referred to as “out-of-the-box.” Within the gender-stereotypical articles, many traditional gender myths were strongly supported. The idea that appearance is important for girls was promoted in 54.2%, and the misconception that boys are more athletic/stronger than girls are was endorsed in 41.7% of the stereotypical articles. Data also indicated that parenting magazines, despite their names, are primarily written for mothers

Developmental psychology · Sociology · Gender Roles and Identity Studies · Gender Studies · Gender, Feminism, and Media · Media, Gender, and Advertising · Psychology · Social Psychology

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