Gender stereotypes - stereotypical ideas of how men and women are supposed to behave - have a major impact on people's preferences and behaviour throughout their lives. For example, consider the gender stereotype: "Maths is a typical subject for men". Why do people have gender stereotypes? What are the consequences? And how can they be broken? Find out in this overview study of people's choices in their learning, working and caring lives.
Gender stereotypes - stereotypical ideas of how men and women are supposed to behave - have a major impact on people's preferences and behaviour throughout their lives. For example, consider the gender stereotype: "Maths is a typical subject for men". Why do people have gender stereotypes? What are the consequences? And how can they be broken? Find out in this overview study of people's choices in their learning, working and caring lives.
An experiment
"Mathematics is a typical subject for men. Women are less good at such science subjects, but on the other hand are a lot more creative." At first glance, a stereotype like the one above may seem innocuous. However, an experiment in French schools shows what the practical consequences can be. Two mixed groups of children were instructed to recreate a complex figure. One group was told it was to test geometric skills. The other group was told that the test was about drawing skills. And what turned out? Girls who thought they were taking the geometric test performed less well than girls who thought they were taking a drawing test. Boys did perform equally well on both tests.
Gender stereotypes limit people
Gender stereotypes often restrict people's freedom at times when they are faced with important choices. The fact that boys are more likely to choose technical studies than girls as a result, for example, is subsequently also noticeable in the workplace. In ICT, women are underrepresented. In primary education, there are hardly any male teachers to be found.
What can teachers, employers and policymakers do?
This report tells you what role gender stereotyping plays in work, care and education; summarising the main scientific knowledge on the subject. Questions such as:
What does gender stereotyping mean for teachers and the way teachers interact with students?
Why is it important for employers to take gender stereotypes into account?
What can employers, together with policymakers, do about the negative consequences?
