Gender balance in kids entertainment at Kidscreen

The Story Productions co-founder and creative director Nick Story had barely shaken the sand out of his suitcase from a trip to NATPE in Miami last month before he was back again, this time attending the Kidscreen Summit.

One of the key events in the kids entertainment industry calendar, Kidscreen gathers more than 2,000 participants from around the world to network, buy and sell programmes and discuss issues that affecting the industry. Nick Story was there to explore distribution options for Formula Dreams , a documentary series currently in production that follows the lives and friendships of a group of ambitious young karting drivers in São Paulo.

One of the protagonists in Formula Dreams is Antonella – the only girl competing at the top level in the São Paulo karting championships. Story Productions is delighted to be breaking with gender stereotypes through Antonella’s story, and so Nick listened with interest to a panel discussion at Kidscreen entitled “What Little Boys Are Made Of”.

There are two male characters for every female character in kids entertainment, the panel revealed. The panelists – kids entertainment producers and broadcasters – debated the issue of how to redress this imbalance. They also discussed the representation of boys’ gender identity and how kids entertainment can play a part in boys' emotional development. Here are some highlights for storytellers and producers from the panel session:

“We need to create characters who positively redefine what it means to be a boy or a man and give us a different palette than strength, power and agression to draw from. We can think about the things that are awesome about boys – that they can be good friends and they can be sensitive. When we see boys in stories, it would be wonderful to see them appreciated for different kinds of things, like their ability to make good choices.” Cheryl Gotthelf, Cheryl Gotthelf Consulting

“We need to redefine words like courage and power. Courage could be having the ability to express your emotions and say it’s ok to be afraid, it’s ok to be sad. I also think it’s important to have characters in stories that have roles that are traditionally female but played by male characters. So, for example, we think of a nurse as traditionally being female. What if we had a show about a nurse who was a boy? It’s just one example. Having those roles switched around and explored is very helpful.” Shabnam Rezaei, President, Big Bad Boo

On redressing gender imbalance:
“I think to have the right team in the room helps with calling it out. Make sure that your crew, your writers, your creative team is made up of a diverse group of people that would call those things out.” Shabnam Rezaei

“When you start really thinking about it you can change it. We go along doing what we do and when someone calls it out, it really does put a spotlight on the problem. Also being told by Geena Davis that you should fix it, those are all meaningful moments.” Linda Simensky, VP, Children’s Programming, PBS Kids.