?Den är för tjejer och den för killar? ? en studie av åtta 12-åriga pojkars och flickors serieläsning
The aim of this study is to examine the opinions of eight 12-year old boys and girls about two comics; Sabrina ? tonårshäxan (Sabrina ? teenage witch) and Spiderman. Do children see gender differences in the two comics? Do boys and girls identify with the heroes in the comics and does this affect the children's own gender socialisation. We interviewed four boys and four girls from different parts of Sweden. One or two days prior to the interview, the children were given the two comics and asked to read them. As a theoretical framework we used ideas and concepts from different areas - with focus on socialisation. Key concepts used in the analysis are gender identity, gender role identity, childhood, gender socialisation, identification and idols. The analysis showed that most of the Children had similar opinions, such as thinking that the comics showed stereotypes and that Spiderman could not possibly be a woman. The interviewed children were well aware of gender and the expectations for women/men and were affected by the comics they read. Children are, of course, active in their own gender socialization and they are influenced by their environment and what is represented as masculine and feminine.