Playing the part: Children's willingness and embarrassment to play gender stereotype-violating roles
Research output: Journal contributions › Journal articles › Research › peer-review
Authors
Although anticipated affect has been shown to influence young adults' willingness to engage in counter-stereotypic fields of study and careers, research has not yet explored whether elementary school children also anticipate negative affect for violating gender norms. The present studies explored elementary school students' knowledge of gender stereotypes, anticipated embarrassment and willingness to play counter-stereotypic characters in a play. In Study 1 (N = 56, Mage = 9.46 years) and Study 2 (N = 49, Mage = 9.52 years), children anticipated more embarrassment and were less willing to play a character with gender stereotype-incongruent behaviours and roles, compared to gender stereotype-congruent characters. In Study 3 (N = 47, Mage = 11.43 years), children anticipated more embarrassment and were less willing to play a character with a stereotype-incongruent occupation compared to gender stereotype-congruent occupations. In a combined analysis across the three studies, knowledge of gender stereotypes predicted children's embarrassment to play counter-stereotypic roles. The results are discussed with respect to the development of gender norms and occupational aspirations in children.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | British Journal of Developmental Psychology |
| ISSN | 0261-510X |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Accepted/In press - 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 British Psychological Society.
- Developmental and Educational Psychology
- Developmental Neuroscience
ASJC Scopus Subject Areas
- backlash, children, counter-stereotypical, development, gender role violation, gender stereotyping, K-12 education, occupational aspirations
- Psychology