---
title: "Timeline photos A friend of mine asks "Why are children's books so…"
date: 2023-06-08
source: facebook
type: Archer T. Ships added a new photo.
---

# Timeline photos A friend of mine asks "Why are children's books so…

*June 8, 2023 · Facebook*

::::: {}
::: {}
![](img/2023-06-08-fb-004-img01.webp){style="max-width:100%; margin:1em 0"}
:::

::: {}
A friend of mine asks \"Why are children\'s books so sexist?\"\
\
According a study conducted by the Guardian of the top 100 bestselling illustrated children's books of 2017 (1):\
\
\"The lead characters were 50% more likely to be male than female, and male villains were eight times more likely to appear compared to female villains. Only one book, Peppa and her Golden Boots, portrayed a sole female villain, acting alone: a duck who steals Peppa Pig's boots and takes them to the moon.\
\
Over the course of each book, the characters who got an opportunity to speak were 50% more likely to be male than female, and male characters outnumbered female characters in almost half the stories that made it into the top 100.\
\
Twice as many of the characters who were given a speaking part and a main role in the story were male -- and, on average, there were three male characters present in each story for every two females featured.\" (1)\
\
It appears that children\'s books are sexist because the children\'s literature industry is dominated by sexist white women, on both the buy and sell sides of the industry (2);\
\
\"78% of children's book editors and/or publishing industry staff members are women, though that number drops to 59% at the executive/board level (according to a survey by Lee & Low)\
\
85% of literary agents that represent children's and/or YA books are women (according to [querytracker.net](http://querytracker.net){target="_blank"})\
\
75% of school teachers are women; at the pre-school/kindergarten level that number jumps to 97.5% (according to the National Center for Education Statistics)\
\
82% of librarians are women (according to the ALA), and the vast majority of children's lit reviewers are librarians (I couldn't find stats on this, but a search of submission guidelines and reviewer lists for School Library Journal, Kirkus, Booklist and PW confirms it anecdotally)\
\
57% of children's book buyers are women (according to Nielsen's US Children's Book Landscape report)\
\
14 of the 15 members of the 2018 Newbery Award committee were women. 13 of the 15 members of the 2018 Caldecott committee were women (From ALA)\"\
\
(1) [https://web.archive.org/web/20190428211128/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/21/childrens-books-sexism-monster-in-your-kids-book-is-male](https://web.archive.org/web/20190428211128/https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/jan/21/childrens-books-sexism-monster-in-your-kids-book-is-male){target="_blank"}\
\
(2) [https://emmawaltonhamilton.com/blog/where-the-women-are-tough-questions-about-the-gender-disparities-in-childrens-publishing](https://emmawaltonhamilton.com/blog/where-the-women-are-tough-questions-about-the-gender-disparities-in-childrens-publishing){target="_blank"}
:::
:::::