Selina Karim
CSU ID: 2694784
Dr. Rodriguez – Sociology of Gender
Content Analysis
Due Date: Monday, May 1st 2017
Abstract
Walt Disney released their first Disney Princess movie in 1937 and their latest release
was in 2012. The era of feminism and gender equality has caused critics to raise concern
relating to the portrayal and expression of gender throughout these films over the last several
decades. This content analysis focuses on the gender roles and expectations that are portrayed in
Disney Princess films. The research was conducted on nine Disney Princess movies that were
released over a span of about eighty years. Walt Disney has attempted to eliminate some
stereotypical expectations of gender; however, the data presented by this research suggests that
Walt Disney continues to subtly express traditional gender norms and expectations.
Overview of Content
Walt Disney is among the most popular animation producers globally. Their famous
“Disney Princesses” have become the idols of young and adolescent children. Although Disney
films are said to be produced for the purpose of entertainment, underlying messages teach
children gender norms and structure them into accepting these norms as valid.
The purpose of the study is to investigate how Disney Princess movies contribute to the
construction of gender norms. The hypothesized outcome of this study is that Disney Princess
movies demonstrate and reinforce traditional gender roles and mold the path of gender
construction for young children. This study was inspired by the content analysis of Lori Baker-
Sperry and Liz Grauerholz (2003), which focuses on the extent to which the feminine beauty
ideal persists through children’s fairy tales. The focus of their analysis also included the changes
that took place through several generations of fairy tale productions; however, concluded that the
feminine beauty ideal has portrayed a larger significance in more recent fairy tales.
Literary Review
Gender roles can be defined as the expectations society pose for individuals based on
their sex. However, it is important to understand that gender roles in a society can differ
depending on the culture of an individual society. Children themselves become active
participants in this gendering process by the time are conscious of the social relevance of gender,
typically before the age of two (Kane, 2006). Since children begin understanding gender identity
at an early age, many films including Disney Princess movies provide reinforcement for what
society perceives “acceptable”. When a child is able to identify themselves as male or female,
they begin mimicking the behaviors of the characters associated with their gender. It becomes
difficult to challenge gender roles when the media continues to reinforce it amongst children.
Other studies have been conducted to investigate how the media has contributed to the
construction and reinforcement of gender roles. According to Lorber, gender is a way humans
organize their lives (Lorber, 1994). She believes that gender roles are socialized and facilitate
one’s everyday life. For example, the workplace is a gendered environment based on society
identifies gender roles; men are socialized to choose careers that are higher-paying and require
more education such as doctors or engineers, while women are socialized to choose careers that
are “easier” and require less education such as nurses and teachers. Lorber also explains that
western societies have only two genders, “man” and “woman” (Lorber, 1994).
The idea that a society only identifies two genders gives people the impression that they
must fit in one of the two gender categories. Lorber explains that the everyday use of gendering
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provides reinforcement of gender expectations for individuals. Gender is reinforced among
children and adults through several ways including the media, the workplace, family, and
institutions such as school.
The way gender roles are expressed in media depend on many factors. The documentary,
Miss Representation was released in 2011 and explains the portrayal of women through media.
The documentary focuses on the under-representation of women in power; however, it is likely
due to men dominating the media industry. This is relevant because there is a significant
difference in the men to women ratio of Walt Disney Co. board members. Specifically, out of the
eleven board members, three of them are women according to Paul Bond (2015). Therefore, the
gender roles that are expressed in Disney Princess movies are generally the perception men pose
on how women should look and behave.
