Resources for Parents

Parent Tips

What Parents Can Do

  • Know what your child is watching by watching with them. 
  • Talk to your children from a young age about the idea of stereotypes at a young age.  Point out characters in the shows and movies they watch that are non-traditional.
  • Point out examples of stereotyping in the media to your children.  Explain how these portrayals could be limiting.  
  • Find positive and realistic examples in the media and talk to your children about them.  Provide a different perspective from some of the stereotypes they see in the media. 
  • Make it common for your child to see a balance of active and complex male and female characters, so girls and boys will grow up to empathize with and care more about each other’s stories.
  • Use your purchasing power.  Attend and purchase movies with diverse, interesting characters of both genders.  When we support those kinds of movies with our purchase, studios will make more of them. 
  • Check out the See Jane Gender in Media lessons (link).

Discussion when Watching Media with Your Children

The next time you watch a movie or TV show, count the number of characters.  How many are female?  How many are male?

  • How are you similar to your favorite movie and TV characters?  How are you different?  For example, are you the same age?  Do you wear the same or different clothes?  Do you care about the same things?
  • What did the male characters do?  How about the female characters?  Were there differences?
  • Which character has the best job?  Is it work that you would want to do?  Why or why not?
  • Count the numbers of Asian, Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Arab and White male characters and talk about the impact you think that has.
  • How did characters of different races get along in the movie/show?  What do you like or dislike about that?
  • How many mothers were in the movie/show?  How many fathers were in the movie/show?  Were there more mothers or fathers?  Why do you think that was?
  • How many characters in the movie/show were aggressive or violent?  How many of the aggressive or violent characters were males?  How many were females?  What races were they. 
  • Was the writer of the script male or female?  What race were they?  How about the director?  If you don’t know, what would you guess?
  • After watching a movie, try to find two or more reviews of the film.  Which review do you agree with more?  If you were the reviewer, what would you say?
  • Find the website for a film you really liked.  Print out a list of crew members.  How many are female?  How many are male?  Are there more men than women in the top roles of director, writer or producer?
IF SHE CAN SEE IT, SHE CAN BE IT®