According to a new study from the American Institutes for Research, children develop gender stereotypes about various STEM fields by the time they reach age 6. As they get older, some of these stereotypes become even more pronounced.
For their research, the study authors examined data on 145,000 children from around the world, collected in several prior studies over the past four decades. According to their analysis, six-year-old children believe boys are better than girls at computing and engineering. Over one third of six-year-olds in the study believed boys are better at computing and a staggering 52 percent agreed boys are better at engineering. In comparison, only 22 percent believe girls are better at computing and a mere 10 percent believe girls are better at engineering. Roughly 43 percent of children said there is no difference in boys’ and girls’ capabilities in computing, while 39 percent said the same for engineering. The study also found that as children aged, their male-STEM biases in these fields increased.
The good news is that the historical negative stereotype that boys are better than girls at math is starting to dissipate. According to the study’s findings, children at the age of 6 were more likely to believe girls are better at math than boys. About 41 percent of six-year-olds believe there is no difference in math capabilities between boys and girls.
Among other fields of study, children tend to believe boys are better at physics, while girls are better at biology. Additionally, by age 8, children were significantly more likely to believe girls are better at reading and writing. This belief strengthens as chldren get older.
Due to how early these gender biases emerge in children, the study authors believe more work is needed to promote STEM to girls both at home and in school. They suggest future initiatives that focus on increasing girls’ interest in STEM should particularly emphasize computing and engineering in early childhood.