Gender Stereotype in the Context of Social Roles – As Perceived by Older Preschool Children

Abstract

In the article, based on interviews with 158 six-year-old children from Opole, attention is paid to the children’s perception of gender in the context of social roles played by men and women. The main aim was to establish children’s perception of the roles. The questions covered an attempt at evaluating whether (and to what extent) the interest in the problem area, which has been present for years now, as well as the broadly expressed need for opposing role stereotypes relating to the sexes, have brought about expected effects in the form of changes in children’s awareness. The results of the study confirm the thesis that the ways in which preschool children see social roles performed by women and men in their professional lives, with reference to duties at home, are not free from gender stereotyping. Still such influence is not as strong as initially assumed. Possibly, the obtained results are the effect of progressing transformation of social consciousness in the sphere of roles played by women and men as well as poorer experience of children at preschool age in comparison with experience of older children. With time gender stereotyping becomes stronger.