Gender stereotypes about leadership in early childhood
Year: 2020
Type: preprint
Abstract: Women are underrepresented in positions of power – a pattern partly explained by pervasive stereotypes about who should be leaders. How do the beliefs underlying gender disparities in leadership develop? This study revealed that gender stereotypes influence children’s (3.5-6.9 years; N = 185) decisions about who should be leaders: Girls asked to pick someone to lead were less likely to choose a girl than were girls asked to choose someone to work on a team, whereas boys were equally likely to select a boy for either type of role. Yet, there were no gender differences in children’s interest in leadership or beliefs about their own leadership potential. These findings indicate that gender disparities in advancement may begin with the acquisition of gender stereotypes about who should lead.
Authors: Tara M Mandalaywala, Marjorie Rhodes
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W3164536298