The aim of this thesis is to highlight how male and female characters are portrayed in children’s books, that have football as a theme, and are written for children between 9-12 years of age. I have chosen this subject so that I, as a pre-school teacher, can adhere to the curriculum’s aim of maintaining the school’s responsibility for counteracting traditional gender roles. I aim to study how gender is represented in literature for children.

I shall apply Yvonne Hirdman’s theories on the gender system which is built on the principals whereby the sexes are separate entities and there is a structural hierarchy between them. There is also a gender contract which maintains a balance of power according to which woman is considered inferior to man. From the reproduction process Hirdman identifies cultural influences that literature conveys to the reader as to how genus concepts are created.

To answer questions on how characters in the books are presented, I use a qualitative analysis. I primarily use Maria Nikolajevas “character-theory” and gender based “opposite concepts”. This thesis deals with the following questions:

Which kinds of descriptions are used to present female and male characters, and if there are, can one see any differences between them?

How are the relations between coaches, parents and children portrayed?

From these I have come to the conclusion that gender is presented in a traditional manner so that in stories in which the main characters are female are motivated by love; while stories in which the main characters are male are about football. Girls are rather orientated towards relations, as apart from boys who are described as more independent and egocentric. I can also identify that the team leader is gentler and more personal when dealing with girls, in contrast to when dealing with boys. It may be mentioned here that some of the characters have at time some qualities that go against the norm and which may be considered as challenging the established “keeping them apart principle”. That man is the norm on the football arena is however common in all the books.