Source: French to English Tester Published on: 2026-04-08
Source: The Conversation – France (in French)– By Adam Stanaland, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of Richmond
Very early sensitive to gender norms, children do not merely observe them, they internalize them. How does this manifest? And how does it evolve with age?
Many people have already felt this subtle pressure that pushes them to want to appear “manly enough” or “feminine enough” in the eyes of others. Studies have shown that this pressure can have consequences both personally and socially.
When men feel that their masculinity is being questioned, they may react byaggressive and harmful behaviors. When women step away from stereotypes of femininity – or even just consider doing so – they often facenegative reactions.
As researchers studyingthe way in which thestereotypes and gender normsaffect individuals, often in unexpected ways, we wondered about the processes that drive children to conform to these stereotyped norms. When does it start, and in what way can it manifest?
In arecently published study, carried out with our colleagueAndrei Cimpian, we have found that when children perceive that their sense of belonging as a “memberFull share” of a gender group is threatened, they feel pushed toto conform to gender roles, with lasting consequences.
The questions from the girls and those from the boys
By drawing inspiration fromresearch conducted with adults, we estimated that the best way to assess children’s motivation to conform to gender norms was toquestion their statusas a “representative” member of their gender group.
To do this, we asked 147 children, aged 5 to 10 years, in New York, to play two games, a “girls’ question game” and a “boys’ question game.” Each featured difficult questions on stereotypically gendered topics, such as “Which of these flowers is a poppy?” (Girls’ question game) and “Which of these football teams was champion in 2016?” (Boys’ question game).
We randomly assigned the children so that they would receive feedback suggesting that their performances were either consistent with gender stereotypes or atypical compared to these, the latter category representing our version of a threat to their gender conformity. For example, a boy placed in this threat condition would receive a comment indicating that he had excelled at the “Girls’ Question Game” but had failed at the “Boys’ Question Game.”
We then evaluated how they reacted to this feedback. Would the boy publicly share or hide his success in a “Girls’ Question Game Winners’ Book”? Would he proudly wear a “Girls’ Question Game Winner” sticker, or would he prefer to change the sticker? Would he worry about what his peers would think?
What responses to threats to gender standards compliance?
We have identifiedthree distinct wayswhose children were reacting to threats to their gender conformity.
First of all, girls and boys of all ages are particularly concerned by the fact thatnot to integrateTo their gender group. This means that they expect more rejection from their peers and show low self-esteem.
Secondly, some children actively strive to show that they fit into their gender group. Younger girls emphasize their femininity, while older boys emphasize their masculinity. For example, the older boys told us that they preferred action figures to dolls, or that they wanted to play the “boys’ question game” rather than the “girls’ question game.”
This is in line with previous research showing that many young girls areimmersed in a “princess culture”and particularly eager to prove their femininity, even if this tendency fades with age. Conversely, older boys learn increasingly, as they grow up, that themasculinity is a precarious social statuswhich is hard to earn and must be actively proven.
Thirdly, boys of all agesavoided appearing atypicalcompared to their gender group, actively distancing themselves from everything that was feminine. We did not observe in girls a similar tendency to distance themselves from everything that was masculine.
This reaction reflects acultural double standardIn the United States: girls are often encouraged to be sporty, assert themselves, or resemble so-called “tomboys,” while boys have no socially acceptable equivalent; there is no positive masculine version of the term “tomboy.” The closest expression is “scaredy-cat,” which is generally not considered a compliment.
Helping children maintain a healthier relationship with gender norms
Our results show that the foundations of this pursuit of gender conformity in adulthood – including some of its most harmful manifestations, such as certainforms of masculine aggressionand somefemale anxieties about career advancementin fields dominated by men –are established from the youngest age.
From the age of 5, boys notice that it is preferable for them to avoid behaviors seen as “feminine.” Around 7 years old, they seem to understand that masculinity is a status that must be actively proven and defended, and this mentality can manifest itself throughaggression, sexual violence, and a reluctance to seek helpIn adulthood.
For girls, our results suggest that they are motivated to prove their femininity in a stereotypical way from a very young age, but that this may then fade. This may be explained by the fact that girls are sometimes encouraged to venture into fields historically seen as “masculine”, such assportand thesciences and technologies. Or they realize that masculinity allows men – and boys – to succeed in these areas, and therefore seek to approach it by moving away from femininity.
It is however possible that, in other contexts, girls experience more pressure toembody femininity and avoid masculinity– that is to say, to conform to female stereotypes – in a way that we were not able to highlight in our study. We also do not understand why girls’ reactions to the perception of threats to gender conformity might lessen with age, given that theAdult women are also affectedby these threats. Our next objective is to study in more detail how gender conformity develops in more diverse geographical and cultural contexts, as well as in children with more varied gender identities.
In short, we think that childhood could constitute acritical period to intervene. Programs that help children, particularly boys, to forge a strong identity that does not rely on conformity to norms could help them develop a healthier relationship with gender norms. In this way, children could be less likely to react to perceived threats to their gender conformity in ways that would be harmful to them in adulthood.
Nevertheless, what is clear is that children do not merely observe gender norms: they internalize them, actively defend them, and start doing so earlier than we think.
The authors do not work for, advise, own shares in, or receive funds from any organization that could benefit from this article, and have declared no affiliation other than their research institution.
–ref. Complying with gender standards starts from the youngest age –https://theconversation.com/complying-with-gender-standards-it-starts-at-a-young-age-279382