Gender Perceptions in Multi-child Families: The Structure of Family Affecting Gender Stereotypes among Chinese College Students

Abstract

This paper focuses on gender stereotypes in Chinese multi-child and one-child families to examine whether siblings influence gender stereotypes in College students. In this work, 141 questionnaires (M = 67, F = 74) on gender stereotype representations were collected. The t-test was used to detect gender stereotypes between groups from different families. This study demonstrates that large families influence gender stereotypes among college students, with females from large families showing significantly different feedback on gender stereotypes than males with siblings. Due to son preference, more resources for survival and education in the family will be invested in boys, which implies injustice and oppression of girls. China has already enacted the three-child policy, and the impact of gender inequality ideology on children's gender stereotypes in multi-child families, as reflected in this study, has theoretical value for the future promotion of gender equality education in Chinese families.