A series of experiments conducted with hundreds of randomly chosen children aged 5 to 7 show gender stereotypes about intelligence take root around first grade. In one, children heard a story about a person who was “really, really smart” and then were shown images of four unfamiliar men and women. Many of the 5-year-olds, girls and boys, chose an image corresponding to their own gender. The findings could help illuminate the challenge schools face in combating gender stereotypes, even though girls often outperform boys in school. To varying degrees, stereotypes about brilliance, genius or brainpower can hinder girls and women in those and other disciplines.

Source: thestar January 27, 2017 19:32 UTC