Why All the Counting? Feminist Social Science Research on Children’s Literature

This article addresses the question of why counting has figured so prominently in feminist social science studies of children’s literature. It documents the quantitative approach to children’s books used by both liberal and radical feminists, gives an account of why this approach has been so popular among feminist social scientists, and outlines some of the achievements and limitations of this approach. The article also indicates some reasons why recent, multicultural feminist, social science studies have used a more qualitative approach to children’s literature, as well as some reasons to expect that one might count on a greater balance of qualitative and quantitative studies in the future.