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Four in five children think banking is a man’s job and nursing a woman’s, according to a study by recruitment company PageGroup.
When asked to draw a nurse, builder, banker and lawyer, more than four-fifths of a sample of children between 7 and 11 drew nurses as female, and builders and bankers as male. Around two-thirds thought lawyers were male.
The study also illustrated some interesting gender trends in children’s job aspirations. When asked to draw what they wanted to be when they grew up, girls’ drawings generally showed a focus on helping others (teachers, nurses, and vets) and entertainment (musicians, artists, and pop stars). Comparably, boys’ drawings frequently depicted aspirations of sports-dominated roles (footballers, rally drivers, and rugby players) and careers where they could exercise authority in society (such as firemen and head teachers).
Dr. Richard Woolfson, child psychologist and author on child development, said: “The psychological danger of stereotypes like this during childhood is that children’s future career ambitions and employment aspirations can be unnecessarily limited by their own rigid job-gender perceptions and expectations, irrespective of their actual ability, and that children might fail to even consider job possibilities associated with the opposite gender.
“To avoid this pitfall, parents should get to know their children’s views about job-gender and then try to broaden their perspective so that they avoid setting artificial employment boundaries for themselves. Children will only fulfil their maximum employment potential in post-school life if they make a career choice that is suited to their talents, interests and abilities, not one that is needlessly restricted by job-gender stereotypes.”
Oliver Watson, Executive Board Director for UK & North America, PageGroup, said that these early stereotypes could impact the types of roles children look for as adults.
He said: “While these drawings might seem like a fairly light-hearted way to examine the topic of gender diversity, they are a worrying indication that children are still associating certain job roles with specific genders.
“More needs to be done to encourage diversity and inclusion in schools and in the adult working world, but it is certainly our responsibility to lead by example.”
The findings are supported by the recent #RedrawTheBalance advert launched by charity Education and Employers, which raises awareness of the work that needs to be done to tackle gender stereotyping at a young age.
Carol Glover, Campaigns & Communication Manager, Education and Employers said: “We’re pleased to see PageGroup’s study is bringing these issues to the forefront in industries that traditionally lack gender diversity too. There is a clear call-to-action for schools and businesses alike to help to break down gender stereotypes and preconceptions, and ensure our future workforce is not only diverse but empowered to be whatever they want to be.”
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