More than half of primary school children are convinced that men and women have distinct social roles in life: the former of power and command, the latter of care and nurturing (medium-high adherence to the stereotypical male role, 58,6%; female, 52,9%). Among Italian adolescents, and therefore with increasing age and exposure to extra-familial secondary socialization environments, the sexist ideas inoculated by gender stereotypes only weaken, especially among girls (medium-high adherence to the stereotypical male role, 28,3%; female, 30,8%). These are the data collected by the Social Changes, Evaluation and Methods (MUSA) group of the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council (Cnr-Irpps), which has produced a Guide: 'Gender Stereotypes' to teach young people, parents and teachers to deconstruct them.
Simple questions, such as: 'What is a stereotype?' 'What are gender roles?', 'How do we assume them?', 'What do they feed on?', 'What are their effects?', 'When should we break them down?', have short and clear answers, developed by experts.
The Guide, explains Antonio Tintori, Cnr-Irpps researcher and coordinator of the MUSA team, was created to satisfy the requests that came from many schools of all levels in Italy: to have an additional tool to raise awareness and educate the new generations to overcome stereotypes that, even in a subtle way, can influence the life choices of children and adolescents.
“Many Italian adolescents explicitly approve of violence and discrimination: 2 in 10 declare themselves openly homophobic and 1 in 10 are racist and sexist,” explains Antonio Tintori. “Furthermore, about 3 in 10 are unable to recognize acts such as insults, coercion, threats as violent, just as they are unable to recognize a gender stereotype, which is the main form of social conditioning that we ‘contract’ in the very first years of life, mainly in the family. This is, in fact, the primary place where social inequalities are reproduced, although adults are usually not even aware of being the first agents of transmission of such powerful social conditioning, which is at the origin of the many asymmetries between men and women in the private, family, work, economic spheres, as well as the cause of violence.”
Focusing on the youngest, with the positive complicity of parents and school teachers, is the way to go if we really want to raise the adults of tomorrow with a critical spirit and free capacity for analysis and judgment. In fact, "Gender stereotypes are reproduced by means of a 'binary socialization', of distinct educational models for males and females; they feed on widespread social symbolisms, which are apparently harmless elements but in reality determine the early rooting of the homonymous roles: colors (pink and light blue), games (weapons and dolls), false myths (Prince Charming and the Princess to be saved), distinct sports (football and dance). These symbols are scattered everywhere, from language (overextended masculine) to cartoons, from media content to school textbooks, games, and narratives", concludes Tintori.
In addition to Guide, the MUSA project has produced the video spot “Gender differences at the roots of social roles”, created in collaboration with the CNR Web TV.
The board
Who: Research Group Social Changes, Evaluation and Methods (MUSA) of the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council (Cnr-Irpps)
What: Guide to deconstructing gender stereotypes “Gender stereotypes. Recognizing them to break them down” and video spot “Gender differences at the roots of social roles”.
For information: Antonio Tintori, Cnr-Irpps, tel. 06.492724296, cell. 338.3628178, e-mail: antonio.tintori@cnr.it
– Tintori A., Cerbara L, Ciancimino G. (2023). The state of adolescence 2023. National survey on attitudes and behaviors of students in public secondary schools. CNR-IRPPS Working papers, n. 135;
– Cerbara L., Ciancimino G., Tintori A. (2022). Are We Still a Sexist Society? Primary Socialization and Adherence to Gender Roles in Childhood. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health; 19(6), 3408; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19063408.
For information and registration:
Antonio Tintori
CNR- Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies
antonio.tintori@cnr.it
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Cnr – Press Unit
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