Occupational-gender stereotyping is present from early childhood. This report by the University of Sussex shows that children, and especially boys, show stronger stereotyping about masculine and feminine jobs than previously suspected.
Boys also used an overtly masculine voice even when imitating workers in gender-neutral roles, the study found.
Research in the field of gender stereotypes usually involves asking study participants what they think about men and women doing different jobs, but there are concerns this can mask people’s true beliefs because their answers may be biased by their desire to conform.
So instead, University of Sussex psychologists tapped into children’s unconscious stereotypes by asking them to speak in the voices of people with different occupations.
The research found that for stereotypically male jobs, both sexes spontaneously masculinised their voices, by lowering pitch and resonance, and they also feminised their voices for stereotypically female occupations, by raising their pitch and resonance.