Tell a child they are not acting like a typical boy or girl, and they start to conform, but boys and girls do it differently. In an experiment with 147 children aged 5 to 10, older boys doubled down on masculinity and boys of every age steered clear of anything feminine, while only younger girls leaned harder into femininity.
The study is by Adam Stanaland of the University of Richmond, Andrea C. Vial of New York University Abu Dhabi, and Andrei Cimpian of New York University. It was published online in Developmental Psychology on March 2, 2026.
Rigged feedback on “gender knowledge games”
Children, 70 of them girls and 79 from racial or ethnic minority groups, played a pair of “gender knowledge games.” They were randomly told either that their performance was gender-atypical, a threat to their sense of fitting in, or that it was gender-typical, an affirmation. The researchers then ran a broad set of self-report and behavioral measures.
Three ways of falling in line
The threat produced three kinds of response. All children, regardless of gender or age, showed more evaluative concern, meaning they worried more about being judged by others.
Typicality-enhancing behavior, actively showing off gender-typical qualities, appeared only in younger girls and older boys. And atypicality avoidance, distancing oneself from gender-atypical qualities, appeared in boys but not girls.
The authors conclude that children broadly understand the social costs of not fitting their gender, but boys become more motivated with age to prove their masculinity, while girls grow less concerned with proving their femininity. Boys also seem to learn that avoiding femininity is central to performing masculinity, a rule with no clear counterpart for girls.
The researchers say the results can guide efforts to soften the everyday typicality threats children face, such as teasing and bullying.
Study Details:
- Title: Falling in line: Children’s gender conformity after feedback signaling gender atypicality
- Authors: Adam Stanaland, Andrea C. Vial, Andrei Cimpian
- Journal: Developmental Psychology
- Publication Date: March 2, 2026
- DOI: 10.1037/dev0002166