Watch CBS News

Study Finds Girls As Young As 6 Are Less Likely Than Boys To Associate Brilliance With Their Gender

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A study has found that by age six, girls become less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their own gender.

Researchers say this could impact their interest level in activities and may have long-term effects, such as women would feel less confident pursuing careers in certain academic fields that "cherish brilliance."

For the study, researchers tested boys and girls ranging from five to seven years old.

In one experiment, the children were told a story about a person who was "really, really smart" and they were asked to guess which of four unknown adults (two men, two women) was the story's protagonist.

Researchers say while boys and girls aged five viewed their gender positively, girls aged six and seven were significantly less likely than boys to associate brilliance with their gender.

A second study questioned whether or not the perceptions shaped the children's interests.

Another group of boys and girls, aged six and seven, were shown two games. One of the games was described as for "children who are really, really smart," and the other was for "children who try really, really hard."The content and rules of the games were similar, according to the study.

The boys and girls were then asked four question to measure their interest in the games.

The study found girls were significantly less interested than boys in the game described as for really smart children, but there was no difference between the boys' and girls' interest in the game described for children who work really hard.

Researchers say this finding illuminates the targeted nature of gender stereotyping.

In a final study, researchers compared five-year-olds' interest to six-year-olds' interest in the game said to be for "children who are really, really smart."

Researchers found the results showed no significant differences in interest between five-year-old children, consistent with the absence of brilliance stereotypes at this age. They say the girls at age six, however, were less interested than boys in the game for smart children.

The study, conducted by researchers at Princeton University, New York University and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was published in the journal Science.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.