Gender stereotyping causes ‘lifelong harm’ - study

Three quarters (74 percent) of the 1,030 parents who took part in the research said that boys and girls were treated differently from an early age, and six in 10 (60 per cent) said that this had negative impacts, causing problems such as lower self-esteem in girls and poorer reading skills in boys.

From ‘boys will be boys’ attitudes in nursery or school, to ‘jobs for boys’ and ‘jobs for girls’, these stereotypes can cause a ‘lifetime of harm’, the Commission, established by the Fawcett Society, finds.

Among the 1,027 education practitioners working with babies and children up to the age of seven who were surveyed, more than half said they heard other staff say ‘boys will be boys’ when boys misbehave.

Six in ten said they ‘often’ or ‘sometimes’ see other staff assume that boys and girls want to do different activities.

The study also found that four in ten education practitioners had either had negligible training, or none at all, on challenging gender stereotypes before starting their role.

BAME practitioners were more likely to perceive differential treatment of children based on race alongside gender, with 55 per cent seeing this for Black boys and 49 per cent for Asian girls, compared with 29 each among white practitioners.

An audit of 141 high street shops and 44 online retailers found that children’s clothes, cards and stationery are often sold using explicit gender segregation, and toys are still sold using gender stereotyped colours and grouping of ‘boys’ toys’ and ‘girls’ toys’.

'Jobs for the boys'

More than half of mothers (58 per cent) and half of fathers said that gender stereotyping limits the jobs girls feel able to do when they are older.

Asked what work they could see their children doing when they grow up, seven times as many could see their sons working in construction (22 per cent) compared to just three per cent for their daughters, while almost three times as many could see their daughters in nursing or care work (22 per cent), compared to eight per cent of their sons.

Seventy per cent of mothers and 60 per cent of fathers agreed that this ‘unequal treatment’ affects how able boys are to talk about their emotions.
And the report warns that stereotypes contribute towards the mental health crisis among children and young people, and are at the root of girls’ problems with body image and eating disorders; higher male suicide rates and violence against women and girls.

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said, ‘Gender stereotyping is everywhere and causes serious, long lasting harm – that’s the clear message from the research for the Commission. From “boys will be boys” attitudes in nursery or school, to jobs for boys and jobs for girls views among some parents, these stereotypes are deeply embedded and they last a lifetime.

‘We need to end the ‘princessification’ of girls and the toxification of boys. The commercial sector too often uses gender stereotypes and segregates boys and girls simply to sell more products. But this is not about making everything gender neutral. We also have to make women and girls visible when, because of pre-existing bias, the default male will still be the prevailing assumption. So for example, routinely showing children women leaders or scientists is important.’

She added, ‘The majority of parents recognise that there is a problem and increasingly they want something different. They want to see real change coming from Government and companies and need practical help to make changes themselves.’

Support for change

Eighty per cent of parents who responded to the survey said that they wanted their child’s school or nursery to treat boys and girls the same, with the same expectations and opportunities.

Whereas, 74 per cent of education practitioners wanted challenging gender stereotypes to be covered in initial training for their profession and 70 per cent wanted it to be assessed by education regulators like Ofsted.

The report also found that there was significant support for change in the following areas:

• 66 per cent of parents want to see companies voluntarily advertise toys to boys and girls in the same way.
• On the impact of racial bias alongside gender stereotypes, 67 per cent of parents agree that treating children differently on the basis of race from an early age has negative consequences.
• 65 per cent of education practitioners believe parents would be supportive if they challenged gender stereotypes in their work, including 73 per cent of those who work in schools or settings with a religious character.

Deborah Lawson, community assistant general secretary at Voice Community, Community Union’s education and early years section, welcomed the report.

She said, ‘More investment is needed in student and staff training and resources to help bring this about.

‘We particularly welcome the report’s recommendation that the Government should raise the status of the early years professions by improving pay, training and qualifications of the workforce…

‘We also agree that the DfE should encourage early years settings to recruit more men…Getting more men into childcare is important both to provide male role models, and to break down gender stereotypes about careers for children and adults.

‘Because of the majority female workforce, and the traditional encouragement of women, but not men, to work with young children, childcare, early years education, and even primary age teaching, are viewed by many as ‘women’s work’. This is not, and should not be, the case.’

Call for change

The report sets out the changes that need to happen and calls on the Department for Education to make challenging gender stereotypes a priority all the way through teaching and childcare – from initial training, to the curriculum, to inspection frameworks.

It stated, ‘It is positive that the new Development Matters document makes reference to challenging gender stereotypes. The DfE must go further – at its next review and the next Early Years Foundation Stage review, work must be done to make active challenge of gender stereotyping a feature of good practice. This can be framed within the context of the EYFS guidance that asks practitioners to consider each child as a “unique learner”.’

It also said, ‘Ofsted should ensure that challenging gender stereotypes is an active part of the inspection framework addressing gender equality and protected characteristics.’

Professor Becky Francis, commission co-chair said, ‘What every parent hopes for their child, and what educators hope for children in their class, is that they will be free to achieve their potential – yet what the evidence shows is that we still limit our children based on harmful, tired gender stereotypes.

‘That adds up to real harm. From boys’ underachievement in reading, to the gender pay gap, the evidence is clear that the stereotypes we impart in early childhood cause significant damage to our children.’

She added, ‘But this is also a message of hope. If Government, companies, educators and parents take action, we can challenge stereotypes and change lives, making it possible for our children to live with fewer limitations.’

The report is the culmination of an 18-month process of research and evidence gathering, cochaired by Prof Becky Francis, now chief executive of the Education Endowment Foundation and Rt Hon. David Lammy MP, in his capacity as former chair of the APPG on Fatherhood.