{"id":30182,"date":"2026-02-26T15:12:36","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T15:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/gender-stereotypes-are-increasing-among-adolescents\/"},"modified":"2026-03-05T08:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-05T08:58:38","slug":"gender-stereotypes-are-increasing-among-adolescents","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/gender-stereotypes-are-increasing-among-adolescents\/","title":{"rendered":"Gender stereotypes are increasing among adolescents"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"30182\" class=\"elementor elementor-30182 elementor-30103\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-7b2d8928 elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"7b2d8928\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-26fef7b8\" data-id=\"26fef7b8\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2afae079 elementor-widget elementor-widget-html\" data-id=\"2afae079\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"html.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<!-- Matomo -->\r\n\r\n<script>\r\n\r\n  var _paq = window._paq = window._paq || [];\r\n\r\n  \/* tracker methods like \"setCustomDimension\" should be called before \"trackPageView\" *\/\r\n\r\n  _paq.push(['trackPageView']);\r\n\r\n  _paq.push(['enableLinkTracking']);\r\n\r\n  (function() {\r\n\r\n    var u=\"\/\/metrics.cedrc.cnr.it\/\";\r\n\r\n    _paq.push(['setTrackerUrl', u+'matomo.php']);\r\n\r\n    _paq.push(['setSiteId', '45']);\r\n\r\n    var d=document, g=d.createElement('script'), s=d.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];\r\n\r\n    g.async=true; g.src=u+'matomo.js'; s.parentNode.insertBefore(g,s);\r\n\r\n  })();\r\n\r\n<\/script>\r\n\r\n<!-- End Matomo Code -->\r\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-175143f8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"175143f8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Press release from the National Research Council on the preliminary results of the MiB project (Intergenerational Changes and Wellbeing), prepared by the CNR-IRPPS group <a href=\"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/musa-social-changes-evaluations-and-methods\/\" data-type=\"page\" data-id=\"1449\">Social Change, Evaluation and Methods (MUSA):<\/a><\/p><p><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f2e0783 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"f2e0783\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><i>In recent years, several studies by the CNR-IRPPS MUSA research group have highlighted not only the persistence but also the growth of gender stereotypes among young people. The first results of the MiB project, conducted on more than 3,000 fourteen-year-olds in Rome, show that in 2025, 62.3% of participants display medium-to-high adherence to these preconceptions\u2014a phenomenon that also affects girls. <\/i><\/p><p>Among adolescents, adherence to gender stereotypes remains high, and it also shapes girls\u2019 attitudes. This is confirmed once again by the latest survey by the Social Change, Evaluation and Methods (MUSA) research group at the Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies of the National Research Council (CNR-IRPPS), on a sample of more than 3,000 students from 25 upper secondary schools in Rome. The study, launched in 2024 and running until 2029, includes face-to-face interviews with adolescents to investigate and explore endemic and emerging social issues, including the presence and effects of gender stereotyping\u2014a true social \u201cvirus\u201d which, fed by unresolved educational norms, is responsible for discrimination, educational and occupational segregation, and often even extreme violence.  <\/p><p>\u201cThe research findings\u2014since this is a longitudinal study\u2014currently concern only fourteen-year-olds (3,068), and show that in 2025, 62.3% of respondents have a medium-to-high adherence to gender stereotypes,\u201d explains Antonio Tintori of CNR-IRPPS, head of the MUSA research group. \u201cThe problem affects boys more, but girls are by no means exempt. Among boys, however, the medium-to-high level of gender stereotyping is actually double that of their female peers (79.0% versus 40.2%).\u201d <\/p><p>The data highlight a still widespread belief in gender roles that place men in top positions\u2014those involving leadership, power and control; this conditioning, meanwhile, still confines women to the domestic sphere, meaning they are expected to shoulder caregiving and family assistance responsibilities.<\/p><p>\u201cMoreover, comparing these data with those from the latest national CNR survey on the state of adolescence, carried out by the same research group in 2022, reveals another alarming fact: these stereotypes are more widespread today than in the past, when, at national level and for the same age group, medium-to-high adherence to this social conditioning was 37.9% (20.8% girls; 49.2% boys),\u201d Tintori continues.<\/p><p>In order to investigate these social influences in greater depth, adherence to the idea of specific gender roles was also measured, which is a direct consequence of the internalization of the stereotypes of the same name. In this case, the research technique involved providing adolescents with a list of roles and actions and asking them to indicate who was best suited to perform them: men, women, or whether gender was irrelevant. A medium-high adherence to male gender roles, which attribute certain skills or activities to men, such as being in charge at work, being president, being a police officer, driving, competing in sports, earning a lot of money, and being a scientist, is found in 47.9% of 14-year-olds in Rome, and is significantly more prevalent among male respondents (67.1% of males and 23.4% of females). On the other hand, 33.3% of adolescents have a medium-high adherence to female gender roles, as reflected in activities such as cooking, caring for children, cleaning, shopping, and teaching, with a significant prevalence still among males (43.0% males and 20.6% females). Even in the case of gender role analysis, a comparison with 14-year-olds in the national survey on the state of adolescence reveals a decidedly worrying trend, as medium-high adherence to male gender roles has increased by 10.8% and that to female gender roles by 9%.    <\/p><p>The latest data confirm that these stereotypes are more widespread in technical institutes (75.1% compared to 66.1% in vocational schools and 51.4% in high schools), among students with a migrant background (70.8% compared to 61.0% of those with Italian citizenship) and among those with a low cultural status in the family (71.1% compared to 52.5% of those with a high cultural status),&#8221; adds the researcher. \u201cThese trends, which have been progressively worsening over the last few years, indicate the need for urgent, targeted, and structural interventions, delivered by specialized personnel, aimed at pupils starting from primary school and focused on the exercise of critical thinking, emotionality, affectivity, and the development of relational skills,\u201d concludes Tintori. In this regard. The MUSA research group has prepared the \u2018Guide to Deconstructing Gender Stereotypes: Recognizing Them to Break Them Down\u2019, which is a streamlined and practical tool aimed not only at the younger generation but also at teachers and parents.   <\/p><p>For information:<br>Antonio Tintori<br>CNR &#8211; Institute for Research on Population and Social Policies<br><a href=\"mailto:antonio.tintori@cnr.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">antonio.tintori@cnr.it<\/a><\/p><p>Press Office:<br>Sandra Fiore<br>CNR &#8211; Press Unit<br><a href=\"mailto:sandra.fiore@cnr.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sandra.fiore@cnr.it<\/a><\/p><p>Head of Press Office Unit:<br>Emanuele Guerrini<br><a href=\"mailto:emanuele.guerrini@cnr.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">emanuele.guerrini@cnr.it<\/a><br><a href=\"mailto:ufficiostampa@cnr.it\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ufficiostampa@cnr.it<\/a><br>06 4993 3383<\/p><p><strong>See also:<\/strong><\/p><ul class=\"vedianche\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnr.it\/sites\/default\/files\/public\/media\/Rapporto%20MIB%202025%20%281%29.pdf\" title=\"Externl link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MiB Research Report 2025<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"http:\/\/epub.irpps.cnr.it\/index.php\/wp\/article\/view\/285\" title=\"Externl link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">State of Adolescence Report 2023<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/Indagine%20stato%20adolescenza%202023_sintesi%20dei%20risultati.pdf\" title=\"Externl link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Summary of the 2023 State of Adolescence Report<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Brochure_MUSAstereotipiCNR.pdf\" title=\"Externl link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A Guide to Deconstructing Gender Stereotypes: Recognizing and Breaking Down Gender Stereotypes <\/a><\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Press release from the National Research Council on the preliminary results of the MiB project (Intergenerational Changes and Wellbeing), prepared by the CNR-IRPPS group Social Change, Evaluation and Methods (MUSA): In recent years, several studies by the CNR-IRPPS MUSA research group have highlighted not only the persistence but also the growth of gender stereotypes among [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":30126,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[269],"tags":[283,282],"class_list":["post-30182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-gender-stereotypes","tag-musa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30182","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=30182"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30182\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33334,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/30182\/revisions\/33334"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/30126"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=30182"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=30182"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.irpps.cnr.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=30182"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}