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| Influence of mothers’ color-gender stereotype and counter-stereotype on pre-school children’s color-gender stereotype at both implicit and explicit levels |
| JIA Wei1,2, CHEN Yiwen1,2 |
1. CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; 2. Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100149, China |
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Abstract Objective To examine pre-school children’s explicit and implicit color-gender stereotypes and mothers’ influence on the transmission of such stereotypes. Methods We recruited 92 children （3-6 years old）and their mothers from two kindergartens in Beijing-Tianjin area. There were 81 effective participants, involving 42 boys and 39 girls. Animplicit association test （IAT）measured the association between six colors and gender. Color dressing test measured the explicit color-gender stereotypes of children. Mothers were given a Likert 5 item questionnaire assessing gender-based stereotypes and counter-stereotypes about color. Results Children’s implicit stereotypes and explicit stereotypes were significant. Color-gender stereotypes at implicit and explicit were positive correlation. No significant effect of gender and age emerged in implicit color-gender stereotypes, and the interaction between age and gender was not significant. There was significant effect of gender emerged in explicit color-gender stereotypes of children, and the girls expressed more color gender-stereotypes than boys at explicit levels. No significant effect of age emerged, and the interaction between age and gender was not significant. Mothers’ counter-stereotypes influenced children’s implicit stereotypes, and the stronger the mothers’ counter-stereotype, the weaker the children’s implicit color-gender stereotype. Mothers’ counter-stereotypes did not reveal any significant effect on the children’s explicit color-gender stereotype. Conclusion Our findings indicated that children （aged 3 to 6） have already developed gender stereotypes about color at both implicit and explicit levels. Mothers’ counter-stereotype predicts their children’s implicit color-gender stereotypes. Implicit stereotypes can influence behavior through non-verbal forms such as expressions and actions more than explicit stereotypes. The more exposure to counter-stereotypes in early childhood, the more helpful to reduce gender stereotypes about colors and weaken the negative impact of color-gender stereotypes on children’s ability development.
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