Are African Americans really better at basketball than Caucasians? Are blonds really dumber than brunettes? Are women really worse at math than men? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is no. Let me explain by focusing on the stereotype that women can’t do math. At first glance, this stereotype seems to be true. For instance, men continue to outperform women on the math sections of the SAT and GRE, and men outnumber women in college math courses and math-related jobs. Surely this is evidence that women are not as good at math as men. But as this article will explain stereotypes are...

Blonds are dumb, foreigners lazy, women can't do math. We continuously encounter such statements in our every-day lives – even if most people obviously wouldn’t take them seriously. Nevertheless, we often act towards others as if they were members of a particular group and nothing more. The bases for such behaviors are stereotypes and prejudices. Stereotypes are subjective views about the characteristics, attitudes, and behaviors of the members of a particular group. They are overgeneralizations, whereby the members of a group are assigned certain characteristics – merely based on their group...

Most people would probably agree that “women can’t drive” is a sexist statement. But what about saying that “women are nurturing”? Isn’t that just a nice compliment? At first glance, these kinds of gender stereotypes often appear relatively harmless. In reality, they are anything but: seemingly positive gender stereotypes play a crucial role in reinforcing traditional gender roles and maintaining status inequalities between men and women. Sexism, #Meetoo and the backlash The recent #metoo movement against sexual abuse and harassment was very successful in bringing to light the scale of the...

School grades do not only provide students with feedback on their current performance, they also determine the chances of admission to universities and the success of job applications. The question of whether teachers evaluate irrespective of gender is therefore very important. Traditionally, the issue of gender fairness has mostly focused on discrimination against girls. In recent decades, however, there has been much media debate about whether the school system also discriminates against boys. This article summarizes the current state of research on whether the same school performance by...

Mastering the art of negotiation is key to being successful in everyday life and in a highly competitive and dynamic professional world. One widespread belief among laypeople is that women are inferior negotiators compared to men. Such gender stereotypes can hold women back from achieving their goals, and ultimately lead to lower income levels and poorer career prospects. But is this stereotype true?