Major
Psychology
Research Abstract
Discrimination in the workplace driven by occupational stereotypes continues to exist today (Daniels & Thorton, 2019). Determining when these occupational stereotypes form and how they may change over development is critical in understanding how they persist. The current study, aimed to investigate children’s and adults’ perceptions of occupational stereotypes as they relate to intersectional identities based on race and gender and whether they rely on one social category more than another or use both. The present study sampled children (n = 49, Mage = 8.45, SD = 1.80 ), and adults (n = 132, Mage = 18.82 , SD =1.48 ). Participants were presented with eight pictures of child and eight adult faces, both male and female, that represented four ethnicities (Asian-American, African-American, European-American, and Latinx-American). Participants were asked which occupation they thought the child will grow up to have or which occupation they think that the adult has. Participants had to choose between cook, scientist, housekeeper, firefighter, doctor, and teacher which represented low- and high-status occupations that were either stereotypically female, male, or gender neutral (Teig & Susskind, 2008; Bigler et al., 2003).
Three variables were created for analyses: one counted gender-only stereotype consistent assignments across child and adult faces, one counted race-only stereotype consistent assignments, and one counted the number of race by gender stereotype consistent job assignments (e.g., White male assigned to doctor or scientist). Both adult and children participants made the same amount of gender consistent assignments, but adults compared to children were more likely to make assignments based on race-only (t(98.63)=4.05, p
Therefore, gender-only stereotypic occupational assignments were made more than race-only and gender by race stereotype-consistent assignments, across both age groups. However, race-based and gender by race stereotype consistent assignments were made more by adults than children. Findings suggest that gender stereotypes related to occupation remain consistent across development but race-based stereotypes and those associated with race by gender intersectional categories are learned with age.
Faculty Mentor/Advisor
Aline Hitti
PowerPoint presentation
Gender is Prioritized Over Race in How Children and Adults Assign Occupations
Discrimination in the workplace driven by occupational stereotypes continues to exist today (Daniels & Thorton, 2019). Determining when these occupational stereotypes form and how they may change over development is critical in understanding how they persist. The current study, aimed to investigate children’s and adults’ perceptions of occupational stereotypes as they relate to intersectional identities based on race and gender and whether they rely on one social category more than another or use both. The present study sampled children (n = 49, Mage = 8.45, SD = 1.80 ), and adults (n = 132, Mage = 18.82 , SD =1.48 ). Participants were presented with eight pictures of child and eight adult faces, both male and female, that represented four ethnicities (Asian-American, African-American, European-American, and Latinx-American). Participants were asked which occupation they thought the child will grow up to have or which occupation they think that the adult has. Participants had to choose between cook, scientist, housekeeper, firefighter, doctor, and teacher which represented low- and high-status occupations that were either stereotypically female, male, or gender neutral (Teig & Susskind, 2008; Bigler et al., 2003).
Three variables were created for analyses: one counted gender-only stereotype consistent assignments across child and adult faces, one counted race-only stereotype consistent assignments, and one counted the number of race by gender stereotype consistent job assignments (e.g., White male assigned to doctor or scientist). Both adult and children participants made the same amount of gender consistent assignments, but adults compared to children were more likely to make assignments based on race-only (t(98.63)=4.05, p
Therefore, gender-only stereotypic occupational assignments were made more than race-only and gender by race stereotype-consistent assignments, across both age groups. However, race-based and gender by race stereotype consistent assignments were made more by adults than children. Findings suggest that gender stereotypes related to occupation remain consistent across development but race-based stereotypes and those associated with race by gender intersectional categories are learned with age.
