Beaten to the punch

I'd been having a really good thought this week.  One that was going to make for a fantastic blog post, just as soon as Daddy was on a late shift & I got some uninterrupted keyboard time.  It was going to make everyone sit up and say "Woah, yeah, I hadn't thought of that, but you're right!", and make me the star of the blogging world for at least half an hour, until something else distracted everyone & I slipped back into obscurity.

And then I picked up this week's Radio Times, and found I'd been beaten to it. By the letters page, of all places!  Such are the trials of a part-time blogger's existence.  Still, the post, such as it is, went something like this...

Have you been watching CBeebies recently?  No, I mean actually watching?  Because I've noticed something.  It seems to be getting progressively more & more male-centric.  Where are our children's female role models? Where are the strong female characters?  Let's have a look at an average day's viewing, shall we?  I'm looking to identify the main or majority characters. Where they have no clear gender, I'll mark as Gender Neutral, where there are multiple lead characters and a rough balance, I'll mark as Ensemble shows.  You may want to disagree with some of them, but these are just my opinions. Schedule is Monday 16 April 2012, from Radio Times.  Hidden behind a jump, because it's one heck of a list!



Teletubbies - Ensemble
Me Too! - Ensemble
3rd & Bird - Ensemble
Abney & Teal - Ensemble

I did a lot of this.

Postman Pat - Male
Octonauts - Male
Mike The Knight - Male
Everything's Rosie - Female
Timmy Time - Male
Zingzillas Zingbop - Ensemble
Boogie Beebies - Male
Small Potatoes - Gender Neutral
Tweenies - Ensemble
Numtums - Gender Neutral
Numberjacks - Gender Neutral
Alphablocks - Gender Neutral
Abadas - Male
The Lingo Show - Male
Something Special - Male
Show Me Show Me - Ensemble
Mister Maker Comes To Town - Male
Same Smile - Female
Get Squiggling - Gender Neutral (I can't tell, anyway)
Baby Jake - Male
Waybuloo - Ensemble
Balamory - Ensemble
Abney & Teal - Ensemble
Woolly & Tig - Female
Tinga Tinga Tales - Ensemble
Numtums - Gender Neutral

Numberjacks - Gender Neutral
Alphablocks - Gender Neutral
Our Planet - Gender Neutral

The Lingo Show - Male
Something Special - Male
Show Me Show Me - Ensemble
Mister Maker Comes To Town - Male
Same Smile - Female
Get Squiggling - Gender Neutral (I can't tell, anyway)
Woolly & Tig - Female
Raa Raa The Noisy Lion - Male
Mr Bloom's Nursery - Male
Dirtgirlworld - Female
Rastamouse - Male
Big Barn Farm - Gender Neutral
Andy's Wild Adventures - Male
Our Planet - Gender Neutral
Octonauts - Male
Tree Fu Tom - Male
Driver Dan's Story Train - Male
Waybuloo - Ensemble
In The Night Garden - Ensemble
Bedtime Story - Gender Neutral

So... that works out at 53 programmes.  13 Gender Neutral, 14 Ensemble casts, 20 Male led, and only 6 female led.  And the presenters between programmes, Cerrie for the girls, very occasionally Katie from I Can Cook, and Sid, Alex and Andy for the boys.  Yes the schedule changes regularly, but what's missing? I Can Cook (female), Gigglebiz (male), Grandpa In My Pocket (male), Justin's House (male), Bob The Builder (male), Nina & The Neurons (female), Mighty Mites (female), Kerwhizz (male).  Even there, more male led than female.

It's taken a while for this to sink in.  In fact, it's probably taken flicking over to the satellite channels for me to really notice.  Who can our daughters identify with? So, that's why we've made the switch to Nick Jr.  I'm learning to deal with the endless Lelli Kelly, Lego Friends & toilet cleaner adverts, because the presence of Peppa Pig, Ben & Holly (a lovely balanced programme, even if it is a bit heavy on fairies), Poppy Cat and Dora The Explorer make it a happier place for Squeaky & I to spend our screen time.


What do you think? Am I being an old reactionary? I've commented in the real world about how good CBeebies is at normalising race & disability, but are they doing so at the expense of gender?  I'd love to read your opinions.

This is not a sponsored post. These are my own genuine observations, I have not been asked to write this by any of the channels, shows, or advertisers mentioned above.