성평등 관점에서 본 아동문학의 현황과 쟁점 - 성역할 고정관념을 중심으로 -

Abstract

Reading a book with children is an opportunity to review numerous prejudices and discriminations. Among them, as of 2020, gender equality and diversity are the topics that the world children’s literature community is intensively focusing on. Gender sensitivity changes with the times. Since the 2015, ‘feminism reboot’, there has been active discussion about the influence of gender sensitivity on literature. Children exist under the influence of digital media in which citizens of the world freely exchange and are readers who are the fastest to experience the change in gender sensitivity. Expressions trapped in gender role stereotypes, narratives that target women as sexual objects, and the representation of characters using language of discrimination and hatred are key problems from the perspective of gender equality. These issues must be taken seriously in children’s literature criticism. This thesis examines when and how the discussion on children’s literature from the perspective of gender equality began in the history of Korean children’s literature criticism. It seems to be in the 1980s that the gender equality perspective was explicitly proposed in Korean children’s literature research. And then it examines what issues have been proposed and diagnoses current discussions. And based on these issues, we will look at the examples of the works created after the 2000s to see in what aspects the female figures depicted in our children’s literature follow the stereotype of gender roles. Through this, we will try to diagnose where the gender equality mind of our children’s literature is now. In recent years, efforts to increase the gender equality index have been made diligently in elementary school classrooms. Teachers are constantly requesting research materials on this issue. Gender equality is related to the subject of diversity. It is important to understand the differences of existence and to respect the various lives. Criticism of children’s literature should discuss how these points appear in the work. This discussion will provide a basis for examining the direction in which the gender equality perspective is applied in children’s literature education programs and children’s reading projects in schools and administrative institutions.