Girls and science in contemporary children’s literature

Abstract

This dissertation explores the representation of girls in STEM in children’s literature in light of the predicted global scarcity of professionals qualified in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and the need to encourage more professionals, especially females, to embark on careers in these fields. In view of the fact that children are thought to start forming their ideas about who they are and where they belong in society between the ages of eight and twelve, the influence that children’s literature may have on this process is explored. The findings of a content survey determining the prevalence of STEM heroines featured in children’s books published between 2009 and 2018 precede the findings of the close reading analysis of three children’s series namely Ada Lace, The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, and Alice Jones. Finally, the conclusions drawn about the portrayal of girls in science in the selected texts is presented along with suggestions for further studies.