A recent study by Pennsylvania State University published in Child Development looked at the roles preschool teachers played in exposing young children to gender stereotyping, reports Medical News.
Researchers evaluated two preschools of 3 to 5 year olds: one group of teachers was asked to emphasize gender distinctions (like lining children up by gender and asking boys and girls to post their work on separate bulletin boards), and the other group of teachers was asked avoid any divisions by gender.
By the end of two weeks, children in classrooms that emphasized gender showed decreased interest in playing with children of the other sex and increased stereotypical attitudes, for example, that only girls should play with baby dolls.
By contrast, the children in classrooms where teachers avoided characterization by sex showed no changes in their responses or behaviours.
The findings build on earlier research by showing that classroom environments emphasizing division by gender have a powerful effect on children’s gender-related beliefs and behaviour, which they then carry into elementary school.