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Gender Stereotypes in the Family Context: Mothers, Fathers, and Siblings

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Abstract

Gender stereotypes of children and their parents were examined. Participants included 355 three-year-old children, their one-year-old siblings, and their mothers and fathers. Families were selected from the Western region of the Netherlands. Implicit gender stereotypes were assessed with computerized versions of the Action Inference Paradigm (AIP; both child and parents) and the Implicit Association Test (parent only). Parental explicit gender stereotypes were measured with the Child Rearing Sex-Role Attitude Scale. Findings revealed that mothers had stronger implicit gender stereotypes than fathers, whereas fathers had stronger explicit stereotypes than mothers. Fathers with same-gender children had stronger implicit gender stereotypes about adults than parents with mixed-gender children. For the children, girls’ implicit gender stereotypes were significantly predicted by their mother’s implicit gender stereotypes about children. This association could only be observed when the AIP was used to assess the stereotypes of both parent and child. A family systems model is applicable to the study of gender stereotypes.

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Acknowledgement

This research was supported by a European Research Council Starting Grant awarded to Judi Mesman (project # 240885). Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg was supported by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (VICI Grant 453-09-003)

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre for Child and Family Studies, Leiden University, Leiden, the Netherlands

    Joyce J. Endendijk, Marleen G. Groeneveld, Sheila R. van Berkel, Elizabeth T. Hallers-Haalboom, Judi Mesman & Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg

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  1. Joyce J. Endendijk
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  2. Marleen G. Groeneveld
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  3. Sheila R. van Berkel
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  4. Elizabeth T. Hallers-Haalboom
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Correspondence to Judi Mesman.

Appendix

Appendix

Dutch items

1. Voor zowel jongens als meisjes is het belangrijk om sociale vaardigheden aan te leren

2. Alleen jongens zouden concurrerende sporten moeten beoefenen

3. Stille meisjes zullen een gelukkiger leven hebben dan assertieve meisjes

4. Jongens mogen alleen huilen wanneer iemand ze pijn doet

5. Als mijn zoon zou zeggen dat hij later verpleegkundige wil worden zou ik hem hierin ontmoedigen

6. Voor mijn zoon en mijn dochter zou ik hetzelfde speelgoed kunnen kopen

7. Jongens die zich gedragen als een “mietje” zullen zich nooit goed aanpassen

8. Meisjes die zich gedragen als een “wildebras” zullen zich nooit goed aanpassen

9. Ouders moeten verschillend omgaan met gedrag van meisjes en jongens

10. Ik vind het vervelend om te zien als jongens tijdens het spelen een jurk aantrekken

11. Ik zou een pop voor mijn zoon kunnen kopen

12. Ik zou een mannelijke babysitter niet inhuren

13. Het is voor jongens belangrijker dan voor meisjes om goed te kunnen concurreren

14. Ouders die balletlessen voor hun zoon betalen vragen om problemen

15. Ik zou eerder geld lenen om mijn zoon te laten studeren dan om mijn dochter te laten studeren

16. Ik zou teleurgesteld zijn als mijn dochter op voetbal zou willen

17. Meisjes zouden gestimuleerd moeten worden om met blokken en autootjes te spelen

18. Wiskunde en natuurkunde zijn voor jongens en meisjes even belangrijk

19. Ik zou teleurgesteld zijn als mijn dochter zich als een “wildebras” zou gedragen

English translation

1. Both boys and girls really need to develop social skills

2. Only boys should be permitted to play competitive sports

3. Quiet girls will have a happier life than assertive girls

4. It is only healthy for boys to cry when they have been hurt

5. I would discourage my son from saying that he wants to be a nurse when he grows up

6. I would boy my son and daughter the same kind of toys

7. Boys who exhibit sissy behaviors will never be well adjusted

8. Girls who are tomboys will never be well adjusted

9. Parents should set different behavior standards for boys and girls

10. I feel upset when I see boys put on a dress when they play dress-up

11. I would buy my son a doll

12. I would not hire a male babysitter

13. Boys, more than girls, need competitive skills

14. A parent who would pay for ballet lessons for a son is asking for trouble

15. I would be more willing to borrow money to send a son to college than a daughter

16. I would be upset if my daughter wanted to play little league baseball

17. Girls should be encouraged to play with building blocks and toy trucks

18. Math and science are as necessary for girls as boys

19. I would feel disappointed if my daughter acted like a tomboy

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Endendijk, J.J., Groeneveld, M.G., van Berkel, S.R. et al. Gender Stereotypes in the Family Context: Mothers, Fathers, and Siblings. Sex Roles 68, 577–590 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-013-0265-4

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