'Heartbreaking' research suggests young girls think genius is a male trait

Girls as young as six are being sucked into gender stereotypes – believing that exceptional talent is a male trait – according to new research.

The “heartbreaking” research into gender stereotypes suggests that young girls are choosing their activities based on their belief that boys are more likely to show “brilliance”, reducing their chances of pursuing prestigious careers later in life.

Scientists behind the research found that girls were shunning activities and games for the “really, really” smart, thinking that brilliance is a male quality.

Study co-author Andrei Cimpian, a psychology professor at New York University, said: “Not only do we see that girls just starting out in school are absorbing some of society’s stereotyped notions of brilliance, but these young girls are also choosing activities based on these stereotypes. This is heartbreaking.”

The scientists behind the study, who are also from Princeton University and the University of Illinois, acknowledged that further research needs to be carried out beyond the largely white, middle-class pool of 400 children.

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“Nevertheless, the present results suggest a sobering conclusion: many children assimilate the idea that brilliance is a male quality at a young age,” said the team, writing in the Science journal.

“This stereotype begins to shape children’s interests as soon as it is acquired and is thus likely to narrow the range of careers they will one day contemplate.”

Previous research by Prof Cimpian has found women are less likely to gain degrees in fields where genius is regarded as necessary for success, such as maths, physics and philosophy.