Choosing playmates: Associations between adults ideologies and their perceptions of children’s intergroup gender attitudes

Gender stereotypes emerge in children as early as age 3 and influence their social interactions and play preferences. These stereotypes provide the framework for gender norms, which prescribe what is considered gender conforming or non-conforming behavior, with non-conformity often leading to negative judgments. Importantly, adults’ perceptions and attitudes can play a role in reinforcing or challenging these stereotypes, ultimately influencing children’s social development. This study examines adults’ perception of children’s preferences for gender conforming versus gender non-conforming peers, and the potential association of adults’ ideologies, i.e. sexist attitudes, social dominance orientation (SDO), right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) and political orientation with such perceptions. Participants (N = 127 adults) were asked to evaluate two children (a boy and a girl), portrayed as playing with gender conforming and gender non-conforming toys, taking the perspective of a 7-year-old boy and a 7-year-old girl. Results revealed that adults expected gender conforming peers to be rated more positively by children. This pattern depended on both the gender of the child being evaluated and the gender of the child the participants identified with. In addition, participants’ level of sexist attitudes, RWA, and political orientation were associated with these expectations in adults.