Gender Development 3

What do findings show about teacher interaction?

teachers spend more time reprimanding boys for their misbehaviour, but they also provide more stimulating instruction to boys, esp to those boys who are at the top of the class academically.

What is more likely to happen to girls in school?

more likely to be ignored and be provided w/ unneeded assistance, rather than being challenged to do the work on their own.

These instructional differences are esp notable in science and math classrooms.

How are schools organised?

in a gendered way where the staff structure itself reflects gender inequality

higher status roles - headteachers, superintendents more likely to be men, reflecting authority and leadership

lower level roles = mostly women sa primary school teachers - care, support, nurturing roles

What does the structure of schools expose children to?

a hidden curriculum where they learn men are leaders and women are carers

What do schools reinforce?

gender stereotypes that shape ability beliefs and subject choices

girls are often perceived as less capable in science (Leslie et al, 2015) and stereotypes that girls are less interested in STEM reduce their participation (Master et al, 2021)

beliefs are inaccurate as girls can outperform boys (Gruspan et al., 2016)

Why are gender stereotypes harmful?

harmful across dv as they bias evaluation and opportunities from childhood into adulthood (Moss-Racusin et al., 2012)

e.g. identical work is judged differently based on perceived gender, including in hiring decisions and skill evaluations (Proudfoot et al., 2015).

What does the gender-brilliance stereotype categorise women as?

lacking the same lvls of intelligence as men (Meyer et al., 2015) and this stereotype is endorsed by adults and children (Zhao et al., 2022). 

When is the gender-brilliance stereotype observed in?

in cdr as young as 6, esp w/ girls, who are less likely to believe that other girls are “really, really smart” and avoid activities for children who are “really, really smart” (Bian et al., 2017)

findings imply that gender-stereotyping in childhood has real and harmful implications for adulthood

What are the harmful implications if indvs do not conform to gender stereotypes?

cdr who are high in gender typicality are more liked by their peers (Egan & Perry, 2001) in comparison to cdr who are low in gender typicality, who are more likely to be teased or harassed (Toomey et al., 2014). 

How are gender stereotypes also harmful to men?

they limit their participation in caregiving roles and contribute to poorer mental health outcomes (Croft et al., 2015; Wong et al., 2017).

Men who deviate from these norms, sa stay-at-home fathers, are often undervalued, highlighting how stereotypes restrict acceptable roles for both genders (Brescoll & Uhlmann, 2005; Riggs, 1997).

Why else are gender stereotypes harmful for males?

violating gender norms leads to stronger neg judgement and social penalties due to perceived loss of status (Feinman, 1984; Sirin et al., 2004).

What do theories of precarious manhood sugg?

masculinity must be constantly proven, meaning men who display feminine or non-conforming bv are more harshly evaluated and policed (Vandello & Bosson, 2013; Martin & Dinella, 2012).

How are gender stereotypes harmful to women?

they emphasise appearance and reinforce expectations to conform to feminine norms, leading women to be judged more on how they look than their abilities (Fredrickson & Roberts, 1997; Koenig, 2018).

However, there is also a contradiction, as girls are encouraged to pursue broader opportunities while still being expected to conform to traditional femininity (Kane, 2012).

What can statements intended to promote equality do?

can reinforce gender stereotypes, as phrasing like “girls are as good as boys at maths” subtly implies that boys are the standard and more naturally skilled (Chestnut et al., 2021).

such statements can backfire, leading both cdr and adults to infer that boys have greater innate ability than girls.