Relationship of parental education,race, and gender to sex role stereotyping in five-year-old kindergartners

This study examined the relationship of parental education, race, and gender to sex-role stereotyping in five-year-old kindergartners. A significant effect for race and parental education level was noted. White children gave more stereotyped responses than did black children, and children whose parents were in the middle- and high-educational levels gave more stereotyped responses than did children whose parents were in the low-educational level. A significant interaction was also found between educational level of parents and race. White children tended to give more stereotyped responses as the educational level of their parents increased; this trend was not evident for black children. No significant differences in stereotyping were noted between the sexes.To whom requests for reprints or information concerning the Bardwell-Sietsema Sex Stereotype Scale should be addressed at Department of Elementary Education, East Texas State University, Commerce, Texas 75428.