Separating Implicit Gender Stereotypes regarding Math and Language: Implicit Ability Stereotypes are Self-serving for Boys and Men, but not for Girls and Women

Abstract

We investigated implicit gender stereotypes related to math and language separately, using Go/No-go Association Tasks. Samples were grade 9 adolescents (N=187) and university students (N=189) in Germany. Research questions concerned the existence of and gender differences in implicit stereotypes. While typical explicit-stereotyping findings were replicated, implicit math-male stereotypes were found in male, but not in female participants. Females revealed strong language-female stereotypes, whereas males showed language-male counterstereotypes. Thus, females' implicit math-gender stereotypes were the only ones that did not link own gender to the respective academic domain in a selfserving way. Further, females' stronger stereotypes were related to lower and males' to higher scores on constructs related to math ability, corroborating implicit stereotypes' importance.

Does stereotype threat influence performance of girls in stereotyped domains? A meta-analysis

“…An additional subset analysis on our data using only samples with early grade school children (i.e., younger than 8 years old) shows a relatively large estimated mean effect size, g = −0.48, z = −4.30, p b .001, k = 7. This outcome is rather counterintuitive, because three theories on stereotype threat predict that very young children would not yet be sensitive to detrimental effects of stereotypes: preadolescent children have not obtained a coherent sense of the self yet (Aronson & Good, 2003), young children fail to understand that effort will not necessarily compensate for a lack of mathematical abilities (e.g., Droege & Stipek, 1993;Stipek & Daniels, 1990), and older children endorse gender stereotypes more strongly than younger children (Steffens & Jelenec, 2011). The variable type of manipulation also deserves extra attention.…”

“…Various studies showed that children believe that boys are either better in mathematics or are identified more strongly with the field of mathematics compared to girls, for ages 6 to 11 (Cvencek, Meltzoff, & Greenwald, 2011;Eccles, Wigfield, Harold, & Blumenfeld, 1993;Lummis & Stevenson, 1990) and ages 14 and 22 (Steffens & Jelenec, 2011). In Steffens and Jelenec (2011), older participants endorsed the stereotypes more strongly than the younger participants. A meta-analysis on affects and attitudes concerning mathematics showed that adolescents and young adults from different age groups (11 to 25 years old) all see mathematics more as a male domain (Hyde, Fennema, Ryan, Frost, & Hopp, 1990).…”

Psychological Barriers to STEM Participation for Women Over the Course of Development

“…People may hold implicit (unconscious) beliefs shaped by societal stereotypes that contradict explicit beliefs about equality that are socially acceptable (Devine, 1989). Given the pervasiveness of the stereotype that women are incapable of math and science, it is no surprise that researchers have found evidence of this stereotype at an implicit level among both boys and girls (e.g., Steffens & Jelenec, 2011). Even though these beliefs are held outside of conscious awareness, they predict real and important outcomes, including female students' academic self-concept, performance on math exams, enrollment in future math courses, and desire to pursue a math-related career (Kiefer & Sekaquaptewa, 2007b;Steffens, Jelenec, & Noack, 2010).…”

Gender and Achievement Differences in Secondary Students’ Verbal Self-Concepts: A Closer Look beyond Bivariate Comparison

“…Hence, interindividually existing differences in L2 learners' competence beliefs cannot merely be ascribed to a gendered view of language subjects -which commonly favors the female learners (Räty, Kasanen & Kärkkäinen, 2006;Williams, Burden & Lanvers, 2002;Steffens & Jelenec, 2011). Gender stereotyping effects will operate in a more complex manner.…”