Abstract
Gender stereotypes established early in childhood have a profound impact on a child’s sense of self-definition: they commonly influence behaviours regarding academic pursuit and career aspirations. The aim of the current study was to investigate the emergence of explicit and implicit gender stereotypes in children aged 5–8 years. Fifty-four children were recruited from a primary school in Manchester, United Kingdom. Four occupations (scientist, nurse, athlete, singer) and their corresponding personality traits (intelligence, empathy, athleticism, confidence) were examined. Explicit bias was measured using a forced-choice preference task. Implicit bias was measured using the Implicit Association Test. Binomial tests showed that explicit biases emerged amongst the youngest of pupils. Using a Four-Way ANCOVA, it was found that both boys and girls showed an implicit preference for males towards the Athlete domain only. These findings were discussed with reference to a sociocultural perspective through Social Learning Theory, and a cognitive framework through Gender Schema Theory.
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Jhuremalani, A., Tadros, E. & Goody, A. Stereo-atypical: An Investigation into the Explicit and Implicit Gender Stereotypes in Primary School-Aged Children. Early Childhood Educ J 51, 1115–1129 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01355-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-022-01355-w