Players and Whiners? Perceptions of Sex Stereotyping in Animé in Japan and the US

Abstract:

This study examined cognitive and affective responses of Japanese ( N =199) and American participants ( N =194) to the depiction of gender in a Japanese animé popular in both countries. As expected, Japanese respondents indicated more familiarity with the animation and also reported that they were fans to a greater extent than Americans. Japanese participants and males showed greater agreement with sex stereotyping in the depiction of characters. Males also showed greater liking for characters and expressed the belief that they were positive role models. American females disliked the characters, especially the female character, significantly more than all other participants. Finally, participants, regardless of country, who held conventional views of gender perceived fewer stereotypes in the depiction of the characters. Given the current interest in animé, implications of findings from viewing sex-stereotypical images and directions for future research are discussed.

Keywords: Sex Stereotyping; Japanese Animé; Dragonball Z; Gender Schema

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1080/01292980600638728