| Abstract [eng] |
Links between gender stereotypes of 8–12 year old children and their emotional and behavioural difficulties. Vilija Švederytė. Vilnius, Vilnius University. 2019. 54 pages. The study discusses the significance of children’s gender stereotypes in a child’s life, identifying the most common gender stereotypes and whether or not they correlate with the behavioural and emotional difficulties that children have. There is a growing number of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties, thus it is crucial to understand where it is coming from. One of the assumptions is that the difficulties the child experiences are caused by the lack of acceptance and self-realization. Gender stereotypes held by the child can limit self-realization and impede communication with others. Thus, it is assumed that children’s gender stereotypes may affect the child’s emotional and behavioural difficulties. The study involved 212 children (99 boys and 113 girls). The subjects were between the ages 8 and 12. The study also included 210 parents and 23 teachers of the subjects. The aim of the study was to identify the gender stereotypes that children have, the differences in gender stereotypes between boys and girls, and the relationship between the number of gender stereotypes and emotional and behavioural difficulties. The results showed that the most common gender stereotypes were that boys excel at sports and repairing things, while girls are weaker and more sensitive, and are better at dancing and cooking. The analysis showed that children of different ages held different number of gender stereotypes. It was noted that an 8-year-old had the most gender stereotypes, while a 12-year-old had the least. In describing girls, the most common statements had to do with their personality traits and appearance; meanwhile, in describing boys, the children mostly mentioned their activities and personality traits. Moreover, no significant link was found between the number of gender stereotypes and the behavioural and emotional difficulties of children. Only insignificant correlations were observed with regard to the fact that an increase in gender stereotype numbers may slightly increase the overall difficulties a child faces and may potentially reduce prosocial behaviour. |
