Gender Stereotypes in Greek Children's Dictionaries

Abstract

ABSTRACT:This article describes a small-scale study to assess the extent of gender stereotypes and the ways in which these are represented in Modern Greek dictionaries for primary school children. The recent boom in Greek lexicography has led to an increase in the publication of children's dictionaries. At the same time, discussions concerning gender issues and gender bias in language have been gaining considerable interest both in academia and wider society, reflecting a broader international trend. This research was based on the assumption that children's dictionaries provide an environment where such issues are reflected. This hypothesis was examined on a sample corpus of six dictionaries that are in current use, based on three parameters: the inclusion of the feminine form of the headword in noun entries denoting human referents, the portrayal of gender in usage examples, and the representation of gender in pictorial illustrations.