Gender Representation in Classic Fairy Tales: A Comparative Study of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast

Abstract

Grimm’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and De Beaumont’s Beauty and the Beast are three examples of classic fairy tales that have been commonly told to children. The writers focused the study on the portrayal of gender representation reflected in these fairy tales. The writers used the descriptive qualitative method and feminist theory to analyze how these fairy tales portray gender representation. This study was expected that it could contribute to gender role discussion in children's literature and introduce children to equal gender roles to make them able to treat different gender equally. Unlike previous studies, this research focuses on traditional fairy tales and employs a qualitative methodology that involves close reading and content analysis. The writers found out that Grimms’ Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella portray traditional gender stereotypes. Snow White and Cinderella support the domination of masculinity and submissive femininity, while Beauty and the Beast does not portray the traditional gender roles because the tale makes its female protagonist free to determine her life. The writers used a feminist point of view to analyze gender representation in the selected tales. It is expected that this study highlights the importance of critically analyzing gender roles in children's literature and the need for more diverse and complex representations of gender in fairy tales and other literary works.