The impact of gender-fair versus gender-stereotyped basal readers on 1st-grade children’s gender stereotypes: A natural experiment

Israeli 1st-grade children in two different schools in the same neighborhood who were using either a gender-stereotyped or a gender-fair basal reader were asked to judge for a series of female-stereotyped, male-stereotyped, and gender-neutral activities whether they were characteristic of females, of males, or of both. Children using the gender-fair basal reader indicated that more activities were appropriate for both males and females than did children using the gender-stereotyped reader. As well, those using the gender-fair basal reader judged stereotypically female activities as more appropriate for both males and females than did children using the gender-stereotyped reader. Type of basal reader did not impact judgments of the gender-appropriateness of either male-stereotyped or gender-neutral activities. There were no main effects or interactions with children's own sex or of mothers’ work status. The importance of gender-fair portrayals in basal readers was discussed.