

Such adult beliefs could affect children’s attitude toward math 10 (see also the review in Gunderson et al. Parents and teachers in elementary schools are also likely to believe that boys are better at math and science 6, 7, 8, 9.

Previous studies have reported that people, including school-age children and college students, are generally more likely to believe that math and computers are for boys and men than for girls and women 3, 4, 5, 6. These areas are traditionally believed to be for men, and people’s beliefs, such as “men are better at science than women,” are examples of a gender stereotype that does not reflect the truth 2.ĭevelopmental psychologists have been interested in the origins of gender stereotypes.
#Brilliance synonyms professional
A typical gender gap has also been observed in scientific communities: fewer women work in certain professional areas than men, and fewer women authors appear in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) areas 1.

Furthermore, the results were clearer when children were presented with stick figure stimuli.Īlthough many nations have been committed to promoting gender equality in the last several decades, the presence of a gender gap wherein women are less likely to participate in society, such as in political, educational, academic, or economic areas, remains one of the biggest issues in the twenty-first century. The results indicated that Japanese children may acquire “brilliance = males” stereotypes later than American children (6-years-old). Parental attitudes toward gender roles were unrelated to children’s gender stereotypes. Furthermore, it replicated the “brilliance = males” stereotype among 7-year-olds in the stick figure task. Moreover, merging the Study 3 data with that of Studies 1 and 2 confirmed their findings. The new data in Study 3 replicated results of Study 1 and parts of the results of Study 2. However, “brilliance = males” stereotypical responses were observed from 7 years of age, when boys began to be more likely to attribute smartness to their own gender compared to girls. In Study 2, girls generally attributed nice to their own gender compared to boys. Study 1 revealed overwhelming in-group positivity in girls, whereas the results for boys were rather mixed. We showed children photos (Study 1) and stick figures (Study 2) of men, women, boys, and girls, asking them to attribute traits (smart or nice) to each. We also explored whether the children exhibited such stereotypes in response to various stimuli. Japan has a large gender gap thus, this study examined whether Japanese 4- to 7-year-old children exhibit a “brilliance = males” stereotype and whether parental attitudes toward gender roles were related to children’s stereotypes.
