Do All Cartoons Contain Traditional Gender Roles? The Example of Eymen and Çimen for Preschoolers

The purpose of this research is to examine the cartoon "Eymen and Çimen" in terms of gender stereotypes. This study employed a qualitative research approach. The study group comprised all published episodes of the cartoon "Eymen and Çimen. A checklist developed by the researchers was used as the data collection tool, and descriptive analysis was employed for data analysis. During the data analysis, the number of characters, personality traits, toy and clothing choices in the cartoon were examined, and the colors used in the cartoon were generally evaluated. It was observed that there were more female characters than male characters in the cartoon, but the main character was male. The male character's room and clothing were predominantly blue, while the female characters were pink. In terms of personality traits, female characters were attributed characteristics such as calm and nurturing, while male characters were attributed characteristics such as adventurous and anxious. Gender differences were identified in play and toy selection. The male character's room was found to contain gender-specific toys such as cars, Legos, trucks, and airplanes. Based on these findings, the study concluded that the cartoon was not sensitive to gender roles and perpetuated gender stereotypes in terms of the number of characters, personality traits, play and toy choices, and colors used. Suggestions were made for families and for future studies to examine the content of cartoons.