The purpose of this thesis is to find out how gender roles are described in musical lyrics written for children. I used gender theories that describe how stereotypical gender roles are displayed in music and these theories were later compared with the Songbooks I studied. The thesis is a qualitative study to detect masculine and feminine related differences in the texts. After having read, analyzed and compared over 200 songs I found that the stereotype notions of masculinity and femininity is reflected in songs. Society has transferred in this way normative values on to the children through the songs that teachers choose to sing in schools..

Title: Along one and the same road - a study of the people behind some hand written song books from around the turn of the 19th century. It is based on some hand written Songbooks found in homes along the small byroad in Kruse, Alva, Gotland. My own connection to the place is that I was born in one of these houses. During the summer of 2008 interviews were made with four people who live or have lived along this road themselves. Some of them have even lived in the same houses as the owners of the books.