Stereotyping Young Girls

"Be careful sweetie, don't get your pretty dress dirty." Growing up, little girls will hear many interpretations of this phrase with one important meaning; this isn't meant for girls, it's a boy thing. Our words and actions have a great impact on everything around us and intentional or not, we are gender stereotyping our children. Subconsciously you are stopping young girls from taking part in the activities that they enjoy, from their early childhood our social cues are slowly nudging girls away from their interest in subjects like science and engineering. This programs girls to think that their looks and attitude are more important than their interests, which has a domino effect on every aspect of their lives, especially their behaviour towards education. The American Association of University Women talked about this issue in a report, where they stated that "social and environmental factors are shaping girls' achievements and interest in math and science." …show more content…
Stated in 'girlswhocode.com', in America, "74% of girls in middle school express interest in STEM, but when choosing a college major, just 0.3% of high school girls select computer science." For the past twenty years there has been only a percentage of 20% of female A-level physics students and according to a survey issued by the American Society for Quality, to children between the ages of eight and seventeen, it showed that 24% of boys said they were interested in a career in engineering, versus the 5% of girls who were interested. This all has to do with the gender stereotypes that girls