Publication year
2019
Citation Title
Will they listen to me? An examination of in-group gender bias in children’s communication beliefs.
Journal Name
Sex Roles
Journal Volume
80
Issue Number
3-4
Page Numbers
172-185
DOI
10.1007/s11199-018-0924-6
Summary
Gender biases and beliefs can affect the quality of interactions in mixed-gender group settings, and an understanding of gender-related communication styles can help children improve the skills they need to thrive in mixed-gender settings. This study investigated children's belief about their peers' communicative responsiveness and interruptive behaviors. Findings show participants reported more positive responsiveness and less interruptive communication with their same-gender peers in comparison to their opposite-gender peers.
Key Findings
Participants reported more responsiveness in communication with same-gendered peers than with opposite-gendered peers.
Girls reported their same-gender peers as being less interruptive in comparison to their opposite-gender peers, while boys reported their same- and opposite-gender peers as being equally interruptive.
Participants who had positive beliefs about their same- and opposite-gendered peers (e.g., viewing them as more responsive) were associated with having positive outcomes such as more friends, feeling more inclusion, and less discomfort.
Negative beliefs (e.g., belief that a peer would be more interruptive) about the interruptions from peers, regardless of gender, were associated with more negative outcomes (e.g., feeling less included, feeling more discomfort). Participants' beliefs of interruption was not related to number of same-gendered or opposite-gendered friends they had.
Implications for Military Professionals
Help develop age-appropriate modules and activities that promote gender sensitivity, which is the awareness of how gender can be a factor in the treatment of others
Implement activities that promote cross-gender interaction and cooperation in a safe environment
Implications for Program Leaders
Provide workshops to help children and youth learn about appropriate and effective communication styles with peers and authorities
Develop training for program staff to learn how to better identify children and youth that have difficulties communicating with peers and adults
Implications for Policy Makers
Support programs that aim to identify and reduce potential gender biases in children and youth programs
Recommend collaboration among schools and community-based organizations to support youth who may be experiencing exclusion from peers
Methods
Data were collected once a year for two years from eight elementary schools in a large southwestern U.S. city.
The research team developed a self-report measure to assess children's beliefs about same- and opposite-gender peers’ communicative responsiveness and interruptions.
Children also completed a self-report measure for assessing friendships and responded to a vignette to measure expectation of inclusion and discomfort related to same- and opposite-gendered peers.
Multiple comparisons were used to compare association between participants' own gender and their beliefs about peer communication styles
Participants
A total of 311 children participated in this study. Of the total participants, 159 were in the third grade and 152 were in the fifth grade.
The average age of the third graders was 7.13 years old (SD = 0.49), and the average age of the fifth graders was 9.8 years old (SD = 0.71).
Fifty-two percent of the third graders were girls, while 46% of the fifth graders were girls.
Participants identified as 56% White, 18% Latino, 4% Black, 5% Asian American, 2% Native American, 13% Multiracial, and less than 1% as Pacific Islander. The study did not include any other racial/ethnic make up information of the participants.
Limitations
The findings were cross-sectional, which does not allow for interpretations of causal relationships between childrens' beliefs and social outcomes.
The measures used to assess childrens' beliefs about their peers' communicative responsiveness and interruptive behaviors were not standardized, so results should be interpreted with caution.
The data were dependent on participants’ self-reporting of their own beliefs, peers' communication styles, and number of friends; only one source of information for all the variables could introduce bias among the sample.
Avenues for Future Research
Collect data from youth and their peers across more time points to obtain more accurate patterns of communication
Develop standardized scales to measure communicative and disruptive communication responses
Include variables that can measure long-term effects of gender sensitivity and inclusion
Focus
Civilian
Target Population
Population Focus
Abstract
We assessed developmental and gender differences in children’s beliefs about their peers’ communication styles. We hypothesized that children hold more favorable beliefs (i.e., more responsiveness and less interruption) about communicating with same- gender peers than with other-gender peers. We also explored whether these beliefs related to children’s friendships and expectations that they will feel included or discomfort with their peers. Participants (n = 311) were 159 U.S. third-graders (Mage =7.13, SD = .49, 52% girls) and 152 U.S. fifth-graders (Mage =9.08, SD = .71, 46% girls). Children showed in-group biases: They expected more positive responses when communicating with same-gender versus other-gender peers. These patterns were stronger in girls and younger children. Beliefs about interruption varied by gender: girls expected girls to interrupt less than boys, and boys thought boys and girls interrupt equally often. Finally, the more children believed that they would receive positive communication responsiveness, the more friends, the more inclusion, and the less discomfort they expected with same and other-gender peers. The more they expected interruptions, the less included and more discomfort they reported. The results suggest that children’s communication beliefs may perpetuate same-gender preferences; however, promoting mixed-gender interactions may help children cultivate beliefs and skills needed to function successfully in mixed-gender contexts.
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