A study revealed that girls come to feel less capable than boys intellectually. Find out how to support them.
A study by the University of Illinois found that young girls feel that they are not as capable as boys because they believe in social stereotypes.
At the age of 5, both girls and boys see themselves as smart. However, upon reaching the age of 6, research revealed that girls think boys are smarter.
In the experiment, a story was read to a group of 6-year-old boys and girls about someone? Very intelligent ?. Subsequently, they were shown two photos of two women and two photos of two men and they were given a choice as to who could be the protagonist of this story: they both chose one of the men.
They were also asked afterwards to choose activities divided into two groups: the first group of intelligence, the second group of effort, and the latter group was the most chosen by the girls and they rejected those that challenged their intellectual capacity.
In conclusion, it was discovered that stereotypes are rooted from an early age, which has immediate consequences on the activities that boys and girls choose to carry out, which can also discourage them from choosing prestigious careers.
How to combat stereotypes
Stephanie O’Leary, a psychologist from Mount Kisco, New York, suggests that parents, teachers, coaches, and other adults should be extremely careful how children are talked about intelligence and how they communicate with them.
One way to break stereotypes is to direct children’s attention to bright female or female characters. For example, highlighting the qualities of a female character in a story or showing them how capable she is.
It is also important not to fall into comparisons, it is rather to highlight the qualities of both men and women, without underestimating other characteristics of their person.