Dafna Lemish

Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Communication and Information, Associate Dean for Programs

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Founding Editor and current co-editor, Journal of Children and Mediahttp://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/titles/17482798.aspProfessor and Associate Dean for Programs, School of Communication and Information, Rutgers University. Former Dean and Professor, College of Mass Communication and Media Arts, Southern Illinois University 2012-2016Former Professor and Chair, Department of Communication, Tel Aviv University. Studies and publishes on children and media and gender representations.

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Books by Dafna Lemish

Beyond the stereotypes? Boys, girls, and their images.

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Lemish, D. (2015). Children and Media: A Global Perspective. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Lemish, D. (Ed.) (2013). The Routledge international handbook of children, adolescents and media. New York and Abingdon: Routledge. Paperback edition 2015

Götz, M. & Lemish, D. (Eds.) (2012). Sexy Girls, Heroes and Funny Losers: Gender representations in children´s TV around the world. New York: Peter Lang.

Editor, Journal of Children and Media

Kolucki, B. & Lemish, D. (2011). Communicating with Children: Principles and Practices to Nurture, Inspire, Excite, Educate and Heal. NY: UNICEF. http://www.unicef.org/cwc/

Lemish, D. (2010) Screening gender in children's TV: The views of producers around the world. New York and Abingdon: Routledge.

Cohen, A.A., Lemish, D., & Schejter, A. (2008) The wonder phone in the land of miracles: Mobile telephony in Israel. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press.

Lemish, D. (2007). Children and television: A Global perspective. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Lemish, D. & Götz, M. (Eds.) (2007). Children and media in times of war and conflict. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press.

Götz, M. Lemish, D. Aidman, A., & Moon, H. (2005). Media and the make-believe worlds of children: When Harry Potter meets Pokémon in Disneyland. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lemish, D. (2003). Growing up with television: The little screen in the lives of children and youth. Tel Aviv: The Open University of Israel (Hebrew).

Tufte, B. Lavender, & T. Lemish, D. (Eds.) (2003). Media education around the globe: Policies and practices. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press.

Papers by Dafna Lemish

The Womb in the Public Sphere

The article presents a thematic analysis of newspaper coverage and indepth interviews with activi... more The article presents a thematic analysis of newspaper coverage and indepth interviews with activists of an anti-occupation protest movement in Israel called 'Four Mothers'. It suggests that journalists employed several gender-biased discourse strategies that framed the movement as a 'mother's voice' rather than a civil one: emphasizing the maternal, rather than the issues addressed by the movement; use of biased patterns to introduce female activists; and compartmentalization of the movement's activities. In light of the movement's significant political gains, these strategies can be interpreted in conflicting ways. One possibility explored is that playing to gender-appropriate expectations in the public sphere can serve as a subversive strategy to legitimize the infiltration of a female perspective to a national discourse on traditionally perceived male issues of war and security. Key Words discourse, mothers, protest movements, public sphere, war, women 'Four Mothers' is a protest movement calling for Israel's withdrawal from the occupied territories of southern Lebanon. Israel invaded south Lebanon on 6 June 1982 in an attempt to solve security problems on its northern border. While planned as a limited operation, it escalated to a full-scale war and has culminated in a problematic occupation. The

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Feminist Theory Approaches to the Study of Children and Media

The Routledge International Handbook of Children, Adolescents and Media, 2007

Fantasy-Reality Distinction

The International Encyclopedia of Communication

The gendered nature of news consumption by children and youth

This study examined the gendered nature of news consumption by children and youth in Israel, give... more This study examined the gendered nature of news consumption by children and youth in Israel, given the marginal role of women in the news world and the centrality of news in the construction of social life. A random sample of 931 8 and 11 year-old children completed a comprehensive survey about their news consumption in 2007. We found that girls are as interested in news as are boys and both genders use all media platforms to access news and have an interest in a wide variety of hard news topics such as war, terror, accidents, disasters, environmental issues, etc. Significant differences were found in the selection of a variety of news areas along traditional perceptions of "gender-appropriate" interests. As expected, girls were more family oriented in their news consumption, and reported higher levels of negative emotional reactions to news (fear, sadness). Girls were uniquely preoccupied with sexual crime, while boys seemed to be very marginally aware and/or concerned ab...

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Innovations in Gender Representation in Children ’ s Television The PRIX JEUNESSE 2016 Gender Prize Competition

This study explored innovations in gender representations in children’s television that depart fr... more This study explored innovations in gender representations in children’s television that depart from the mainstream of conservative formulas and stereotypes of gender. The four finalists of the PRIX JEUNESSE 2016 Gender Prize programs are critically analyzed for their innovative presentation of gender as well as reflected upon during discussion groups of television professionals. Tasmina: The Horse Girl from Bangladesh challenges traditional gender roles; How Ky Turned into Niels from The Netherlands shares the life of a transgender pre-adolescent boy; Annedroids: Paling Around from Canada role models a technological girl and presents a non-gendered character; and Truth Lies – Feminine from Argentina reflects on gender fluidity. While each of the programs takes a different approach to gender equality, taken together, the four finalists are groundbreaking and important milestones in efforts to advance children’s television as among the leading socializers for gender equity.

Grandparental Mediation of Children’s Digital Media Use

Findings from a pioneering study in Israel, which combined an online survey of grandparents of ch... more Findings from a pioneering study in Israel, which combined an online survey of grandparents of children aged 2 to 7 years with in-depth interviews, suggest that grandparents apply a complex set of knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours to grandchildren’s media use. A clear distinction was noted between mediation of non-interactive and interactive media use, which can be attributed to grandparents’ limited familiarity with digital media. The present study confirms that overseeing grandchildren’s media use is an integral and important aspect of grandparenting activities and is a source of concern for many grandparents and parents alike.

The Girl Child in Popular Culture

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Beyond the stereotypes? Boys, girls, and their images.

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Lemish, D. (2015). Children and Media: A Global Perspective. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.

Lemish, D. (Ed.) (2013). The Routledge international handbook of children, adolescents and media. New York and Abingdon: Routledge. Paperback edition 2015

Götz, M. & Lemish, D. (Eds.) (2012). Sexy Girls, Heroes and Funny Losers: Gender representations in children´s TV around the world. New York: Peter Lang.

Editor, Journal of Children and Media

Kolucki, B. & Lemish, D. (2011). Communicating with Children: Principles and Practices to Nurture, Inspire, Excite, Educate and Heal. NY: UNICEF. http://www.unicef.org/cwc/

Lemish, D. (2010) Screening gender in children's TV: The views of producers around the world. New York and Abingdon: Routledge.

Cohen, A.A., Lemish, D., & Schejter, A. (2008) The wonder phone in the land of miracles: Mobile telephony in Israel. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press.

Lemish, D. (2007). Children and television: A Global perspective. Oxford, UK: Blackwell.

Lemish, D. & Götz, M. (Eds.) (2007). Children and media in times of war and conflict. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press.

Götz, M. Lemish, D. Aidman, A., & Moon, H. (2005). Media and the make-believe worlds of children: When Harry Potter meets Pokémon in Disneyland. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Lemish, D. (2003). Growing up with television: The little screen in the lives of children and youth. Tel Aviv: The Open University of Israel (Hebrew).

Tufte, B. Lavender, & T. Lemish, D. (Eds.) (2003). Media education around the globe: Policies and practices. Newark, NJ: Hampton Press.

The Womb in the Public Sphere

Download

Feminist Theory Approaches to the Study of Children and Media

The Routledge International Handbook of Children, Adolescents and Media, 2007

Fantasy-Reality Distinction

The International Encyclopedia of Communication

The gendered nature of news consumption by children and youth

Download

Innovations in Gender Representation in Children ’ s Television The PRIX JEUNESSE 2016 Gender Prize Competition

Grandparental Mediation of Children’s Digital Media Use

The Girl Child in Popular Culture

The International Encyclopedia of Gender, Media, and Communication, 2020

Conflict, Media, and Child Well-Being 69

Food for Thought: Parent-Child Face-to-Face Communication and Mobile Phone Use in Eateries

Journal of Family Communication, 2021

ABSTRACT It has become increasingly common for parents and children to engage in individual digit... more ABSTRACT It has become increasingly common for parents and children to engage in individual digital activities which disconnect them from each other while remaining in each other’s presence. Accordingly, this paper examines how parent-child face-to-face communication is associated with mobile phone use during a family meal in eateries. The study included unobtrusive observations of 58 families with children approximately three to six years of age in various eateries. We identified four parent-child face-to-face interaction patterns that occurred when a parent and/or a child used a mobile phone: (1) Communication discouragement during parents’ phone use; (2) Communication discouragement during children’s phone use; (3) Communication facilitation via family photos; and (4) Communication facilitation via a shared phone use. Mobile phone use during family mealtimes in public is thus another example of both the positive and the negative outcomes of media use in family communication.

Perpetuating Gender Stereotypes from Birth: Analysis of TV Programs for Viewers in Diapers

The Palgrave Handbook of Children's Film and Television, 2019

A content analysis of seventy episodes of infants’ and toddlers’ programs broadcast during 2017 o... more A content analysis of seventy episodes of infants’ and toddlers’ programs broadcast during 2017 on BabyTV and Luli channels in Israel revealed a mixed bag of conservative and more progressive gender-related messages, with persistent domination of white male characters and gender-appropriate characteristics and appearances. The analysis uncovered a significant category of genderless characters who were constructed, to a large degree, as devoid of meaning: They do not have personality characteristics, they are not part of a family and do not have friends, they do not lead activities, and most importantly, they have no voice. The implications of these representations and the messages they convey about gender for the very young are discussed.

Gender: Representation in the Media

The International Encyclopedia of Communication, 2012

Factors Explaining Grandparental Mediation of Children’s Media Use in Two National Contexts

Television & New Media, 2020

This study aimed at revealing the factors determining grandparental mediation of their grandchild... more This study aimed at revealing the factors determining grandparental mediation of their grandchildren’s screen viewing and interactive media use, based on online surveys conducted among 291 American and 356 Israeli grandparents who reported taking care of 2-to-7 years old grandchildren at least once a week. Past mediation, familiarity with children’s media, parental instructions and joint leisure activities were positively associated with mediation of both interactive and non-interactive media use, whereas country of residence was not significantly associated with mediation. These findings provide initial knowledge about the universal aspects of grandparental mediation in early childhood.

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Grandparenting with media: patterns of mediating grandchildren’s media use

Journal of Family Studies, 2019

Although many grandparents are involved in caring for their grandchildren, they were completely i... more Although many grandparents are involved in caring for their grandchildren, they were completely ignored in previous research on mediation of children's media use. Informed by the Grandfather Involvement Framework and the Process Model of the Determinants of Grandparenting, the present study aims at exploring variations among grandparents in mediation patterns. The study was based on a survey of 356 grandparents of young children, who reported taking care of their grandchildren at least once a week. Analysis identified three groups of grandparents according to their mediation patterns: Highly involved, nonrestrictive and less involved. Mediation patterns correlated significantly with grandchildren's age, context of caregiving, motivations for media use while caregiving and its outcomes, and involvement in other leisure activities with the grandchildren. Furthermore, the less involved mediators reported significantly lower self-evaluation than did those in the other groups, even after controlling for all differentiating variables. Results suggest that mediation of grandchildren's media uses may be considered integral to grandparental involvement in general and may be beneficial to both generations.

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The ultimate treat? Young Israeli children’s media use under their grandparents’ care

Journal of Children and Media, 2019

A substantial effort was made over the years to reveal predictors of children's screen time in an... more A substantial effort was made over the years to reveal predictors of children's screen time in an attempt to suggest effective ways to minimize its negative effects. Studies were mostly based on parents' reports and ignored other major caregivers, particularly grandparents. Accordingly, this study offers a pioneer exploration of young children's interactive and non-interactive media use under their grandparent's care and the factors associated with extensive use. The study was based on an online survey of 356 grandparents of children aged 2-7, who reported taking care of their grandchildren at least once a week. The study shows that children spend about half of the time under their grandparents' watch using various media. Use time increased with age and was higher among boys compared to girls. Noninteractive media use was explained by place and duration of care, number of parents' instructions, bringing a mobile device to the grandparent's home, having the television on in the background, and grandparents' mediation efforts. Interactive media use was explained by duration of care and grandparent's sex, with male grandparents contributing to longer use. These findings raise concerns regarding young children's media use under their grandparents' watch, but also suggest effective strategies for its reduction.

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“A room of our own”: farewell comments on editing the journal of children and media

Journal of Children and Media, 2018

The Journal of Children and Media (JOCAM) was conceived in 2004 while walking along Liberty Bay, ... more The Journal of Children and Media (JOCAM) was conceived in 2004 while walking along Liberty Bay, WA in the United States. Peter, my spouse, and I were spending our sabbatical nearby in the quaint village of Poulsbo. During one walk, I shared my frustrations regarding difficulties finding an appropriate home for much of my work. I was not engaged in developmental psychology, health or technological-focused research; rather qualitative, gender-focused, emotion-and identity-driven studies of children and media. It was one of those moments of intellectual and career reflection that the mental space provided by a sabbatical fosters. Peter, carefully listening to me, stopped us in our tracks and said-"So why don't you establish such a journal?" My response was quick and unequivocal: "Why not?" That week I was reading Virginia Woolf's lectures-turned-essay entitled A Room of One's Own (1928). Among her claims, Woolf argued that intellectual freedom and having the personal liberty to write depended on such material things as wealth, time, space, and access to dialogue with others. Like so many of her other writings, this too resonated ith me very strongly. Here I was, trying to establish myself as a scholar while writing at the kitchen table or in a bedroom corner, raising our three children with Peter, struggling with being overworked and living on our modest salaries. Having a room of my own at home was aspirational: I dreamed of privacy, a place of solace and sustenance. I knew such places existed, as I used to joke that transatlantic flights were my special "spas", with my own little table where I could work, while someone served me food and cleared away the dishes. During a long flight there was time to let my mind wander, read a book, grade papers, watch a "chick flick," enjoy inspirational, creative momentssuch as thinking about a new research project, or just be idle. Colleagues and family members thought I was crazy to accept an invitation for a keynote in Sydney Australia, spending 36 hours each way for a two-day conference. But I got the most productive work done on such trips, as well as taste Woolf's personal liberty. So, I enjoyed making that triptwice. .. and many others. Thinking about establishing the journal, I was also struck by Woolf's observation: "[.. .] masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice" (Woolf, 1928, p. 66). Wouldn't it be wonderful to have "a room of our own," I thought, not only in the materialistic sense but in the

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Social Group Stories in the Media and Child Development

Pediatrics, 2017

How do children and youth come to understand what it means to be a member of a particular race, g... more How do children and youth come to understand what it means to be a member of a particular race, gender, and other social groups? How do they come to hold beliefs about the groups that they do and do not belong to? Both news stories and fictional narratives that we are tuned into as a culture tell stories about what it means to be a member of a particular social group. In this review article, we relate the latest scientific knowledge on news and entertainment media representations of race, gender and other social categories and what they tell us about how these messages are taken in and processed by developing minds. We include research on identity development, social learning about members of other groups, and both positive and negative behavioral outcomes to cultural messages about race, gender, and other social categories. We offer recommendations for stakeholders to understand the role of the media in educating youth about race, gender and other social categories.

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Heroes, Planners and Funny Losers: Masculinities Represented in Male Characters in Children’s TV

Sexy Girls, Heroes and Funny Losers

“One Meets Through Clothing”: The Role of Fashion in the Identity Formation of Former Soviet Union Immigrant Youth in Israel

Childhood and Consumer Culture, 2010

The study described in this chapter examines the role of fashion in the lives of immigrant childr... more The study described in this chapter examines the role of fashion in the lives of immigrant children and adolescents from the Former Soviet Union (FSU) in Israel. It is part of a more extensive, ongoing research project concerned with the role of media in the lives of immigrant children and youth, as they explore their new environment and also look back at the life they have left behind (Elias and Lemish, 2008a; 2008b, 2008c). While fashion was not an original focus of this study, it emerged in the interviews as a site where immigrants are constructing hybrid identities, as well as re-affirming old ones, in the realms of gender, adolescence, Russianness and Israeliness. Accordingly, the aim of this chapter is to present a grounded analysis of these aspects of the interviews and to highlight the unique roles that fashion preferences serve as a facilitator of young immigrants’ search for collective and individual identities, as well as for communicative means of expressing them.

Lessons learned from UNICEF international experience on communicating with children

Convention on Television Broadcasting for Children and Youth: a Case Study of Academic-Professional Collaboration in Israel

Communication Research Trends, 2009

Dafna Lemish

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