Perceptions of gender norms and sex-typed cognitive abilities among Indian adolescents – A study of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana

Sumit Kumar Das, Udaya S. Mishra, Milan Das and Pritilata Das

Children and Youth Services Review, 2022, vol. 135, issue C

Abstract: Adolescents' sex-typed cognitive ability is said to be shaped by gender norms and gender roles. Gender discrimination is displayed in every sphere given the persistence of conservative societal values in India. This study used data from the most recent round of the Young Lives survey to investigate the impact of gender norms and gender stereotypes on sex-typed cognitive abilities in quantitative aptitude, receptive vocabulary, and reading ability among Indian adolescents living in the state of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. As regards perception of gender norms, girls were more in favour of egalitarian society as against boys in favour of masculinity in the society. Boys outperformed girls in quantitative aptitude and receptive vocabulary when the effect of gender stereotypes and other socio-demographic influences on sex-typed cognitive abilities were controlled. Wealth status of household, educational qualification, medium of instruction and the perception of masculinity were found to have significant bearing on all three types of cognitive ability. Such a difference in cognitive abilities favouring boys call for an emphasis on promoting girls’ education in terms of quality and avoiding gender stereotype in the educational environment.

Keywords: Attitudes Towards Women Scale for Adolescents (AWSA); Sex-differential; Cognitive ability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:cysrev:v:135:y:2022:i:c:s019074092200024x

DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106388

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