Television teaches children gender-specific behaviors, attitudes, and characteristics. By observing male and female characters on television, Children learn to label certain characteristics and behaviors as masculine or feminine and assign traditional gender-role stereotypes to careers. thus, the pervasive use of television and the potential of televised role portrayals to influence and shape attitudes and perceptions necessitate some concern for the nature of gender roles in this medium. This concern has spawned an extensive array of gender role research by scholars in many disciplines. This particular work, therefore, tries to examine gender role portrayal on ETV children's drama and the messages these images might send to child viewers. The work discusses and analyzed the gender traits that were associated with women and men with implications for children s perceptions of character roles, positions, behaviors and in cultivating their future careers.

Autorentext

Ashenafi Berihun Tsehay was journalist in Ethiopian Television. He has masters' degree in journalism and communication and is presently a columnist for newspaper, a freelance journalist and a script writer for print serial dramas.