The TV Show “The Worst Witch”: Gender Stereotypes

The children’s fantasy television show revolves around young witches and their life at a school of magic. There are mainly female characters among schoolchildren and professors. The protagonist, Mildred Hubble, is a kind and somewhat clumsy girl, eventually saving the school from an evil witch. The Great Wizard is one of the few male characters, a powerful wizard and the head of all magical society. Although women outnumber the men and females seem to be privileged, the Great Wizard, a male character, sets all the rules the witches must follow. The gender stereotypes in the television series focus on female strength and power. The female characters show a more androgynous approach to gender roles; for example, the magic is passed down from mother to daughter, a simple schoolgirl managed to save the school from destruction. These models may be confusing to children, as females are portrayed as very powerful and dominant at the same time they strictly follow the rules made by a male. There are no representations of non-binary features among the characters.