Gender perception in the context of gender-neutral cartoon characters

This research aims to examine the gender perceptions among primary school children based on genderless cartoon characters and their interpretations developed from these perceptions. This research is a descriptive study in which qualitative research technique is used. Since the research aimed to reveal results related to a certain situation, it was conducted with a case study pattern, and it was designed as a single case study since an existing situation was analyzed alone and described in a holistic way. The selected target group consists of 40 students studying in public and private primary schools in the center, districts, and villages of Tokat. Out of the 40 students, 25 are females and 15 are males. The age range of the students is between 6 and 10 years old. In order to have different socio-economic levels, the first 20 participants were selected from the students studying in schools with low socio-economic status and the rest 20 participants were students from schools with high socio-economic status; 10 students from each grade were selected from both types of schools in equal numbers. A semi-structured interview method was used to collect data. According to the results of the research, the gender perceptions of children aged 6-10 mostly consist of gender definitions created using the principle of part-to-whole. In the study, it was concluded that women have more variety than men in terms of appearance and gender definitions according to their physical characteristics. When the behavioral dimension of the study was examined, it was concluded that the male gender was matched with violence and exposed to more specific restrictions. It has been concluded that the first impression is very crucial for primary school students. Appearance has been an important factor in determining the gender of cartoon characters in children.