Gender stereotypes from a child's perspective

Abstract

Cultural constructs, such as gender concepts, are introduced to new generations in the context of social interactions. Children and adolescents have formed a notion of femininity and masculinity that, to a greater or lesser extent, responds to certain traditional stereotypes. The purpose of this research is to approach the gender concepts of a group of elementary school students by reviewing the descriptions of male and female characters created by themselves. To this end, we analyzed the characteristics that participants related to behaviors, actions, and attributes typical and/or expected of women and men. This research was conducted with students from two elementary schools, located in middle-class neighborhoods in the Guadalajara Metropolitan Area, covering a population of 542 children, 258 boys and 284 girls, whose ages ranged from 6 to 12 years old. The analysis of the data collected was carried out using an adaptation of Fiske, Cuddy, Glick, and Xu's (2002) Model of Stereotype Content. The results revealed a greater attachment to traditional roles in older students and when the gender of the character and the creator was the same. The most substantial changes proposing a more critical stance on gender identity are shown mainly in the perspective of women's competence; however, they are not so significant as to imply a transformation of the image of femininity and masculinity.