The DOI matches its Crossref record; 36 of the 36 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children's interests
Abstract
Common stereotypes associate high-level intellectual ability (brilliance, genius, etc.) with men more than women. These stereotypes discourage women's pursuit of many prestigious careers; that is, women are underrepresented in fields whose members cherish brilliance (such as physics and philosophy). Here we show that these stereotypes are endorsed by, and influence the interests of, children as young as 6. Specifically, 6-year-old girls are less likely than boys to believe that members of their gender are "really, really smart." Also at age 6, girls begin to avoid activities said to be for children who are "really, really smart." These findings suggest that gendered notions of brilliance are acquired early and have an immediate effect on children's interests.
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In the citing paper
“This leads them to associate activities and professions requiring heightened intellectual skills and brilliance with men.”
From The influence of school textbooks on the configuration of gender identity: A study on the unequal representation of women and men in the school discourse during the Spanish democracy (2022) · cites this paper as Bian et al., 2017
In the citing paper
“According to Bian et al. (2017), at the age of six, girls start to perceive themselves as being less capable than boys.”
From The influence of school textbooks on the configuration of gender identity: A study on the unequal representation of women and men in the school discourse during the Spanish democracy (2022) · cites this paper as Bian et al., 2017
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Metadata
- Authors
- Bian, L., Leslie, S.-J., & Cimpian, A.
- Affiliations
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Princeton University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Bian, Lin
- Cimpian, Andrei
- Venue
- Science
- Published
- 2017-01-27
- Volume
- 355
- Issue
- 6323
- Pages
- 389-391
- ISSN
- 0036-8075 (ISSN-L)
- 1095-9203
- OpenAlex
- W2580263176
- Cited by
- 1,206
- References
- 36
- Citations by year
- 2026: 96 · 2025: 156 · 2024: 127 · 2023: 143 · 2022: 148 · 2021: 133 · 2020: 158 · 2019: 126 · 2018: 74 · 2017: 40
- FWCI
- 140.72
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Science (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- University of Illinois
- NSF (BCS-1530669)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Education, Achievement, and Giftedness
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Science Education and Perceptions
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Applied Psychology › Career Development and Diversity
- Keywords
- gender stereotypes, intellectual ability, brilliance, child gender differences, children's interests, underrepresentation of women in science
- MeSH terms
- Child, Female, Games, Experimental, Gender Identity, Humans, Intelligence, Male, Stereotyping
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