The Portrayal of Male and Female Characters With Chronic Illnesses in Children's Realistic Fiction, 1970-1994

Abstract

This study draws on my doctoral dissertation (Saad, 1996), which compared the portrayal of female chronically ill characters with that of male chronically ill characters in children's books. There were two parts to this investigation. First, I conducted a content analysis of 54 children's chapter books with chronically ill main characters published in the United States between 1970 and 1994 and still available. Each book was then matched with a reader who had the same chronic illness as the book's main character. Second, I interviewed the readers about their impressions of these books. The content analysis and interview results were analysed using qualitative methods and descriptive statistics.

The study had three major findings:

1. Most (72.9%) readers found the books at least slightly unrealistic. This finding is in opposition to Drennon's 1993 study, which indicated that only 5.8% of readers thought the books were at least slightly unrealistic.
2. Four-fifths (80.8%) of children's books studied had female chronically ill main characters, 18% had chronically ill male main characters, and 1.3% had a chronically ill main character of each gender.
3. When books were considered as a group, a pattern of sexism, racism, and heterosexism emerged.

These findings were used to recommend ways in which existing literature can be used with chronically ill and able-bodied youngsters.