Children feel they are treated differently because of their gender, finds survey

Exclusive: Two thirds of girls and more than half of boys believe they are not treated the same as the opposite sex

The study also revealed that around a third of children believe parents and teachers perpetuate gender stereotypes (Getty)

A majority of children believe they are treated differently because of their gender, a new poll has found.

Nearly two thirds of girls (63 per cent) and more than half of boys (52 per cent) believed they were not treated the same by their classmates.

Half of the children surveyed said girls were more likely to be judged on their looks than boys.

As many as 70 per cent of girls, and 60 per cent of boys, said they had overheard sexist comments being made about their friends.

The equality survey, conducted by children’s newspaper First News, questioned 1,000 children, aged 9-14, to understand the age at which certain attitudes develop.

One 10-year-old, Oliver, told researchers: “Once I heard a boy say to another boy, ‘don’t be such a wimp, you are more like a girl!’ when they backed out of a task.”

Ciya, also aged 10, said: “There are set things that girls are expected to do and it isn’t fair. I love football but our school is a girls’ school so apparently we can’t play football. I’ve been told to act more ladylike, and often questioned it. Why do girls have to be like this?”

The poll also revealed parents and teachers may perpetuate certain gender stereotypes.

Around a third of children felt boys and girls were not treated the same, by teachers (30 per cent) or parents (27 per cent).

Brook Jones, 15, who identifies as male, said both sexes suffer from gender stereotyping.

“They are both judged. A boy might be judged on what brands he’s wearing or weather or not he looks ‘too feminine’. Girls get judged on brands also, and make-up and who’s the thinnest,” he said.

Children were also asked if they felt the phrase “ladies first” was out of date.

Theo Adam, 12, said: “I personally cringe when someone says that.”

Amelie, who did not give her age, said: “You could just say ‘you first’ or something, but ‘ladies first’ makes people think that you always need to be more polite around women when really, you should be polite around everyone.”

Nicky Cox, the paper’s editor, said the poll’s findings were “disappointing”.

“Our poll highlights that equality is a serious issue for children and it is disappointing to see that, even at this young age, most children feel they are being treated differently due to their gender,” she said.

“We need to ensure that young people are equipped with the knowledge and information they need to feel confident about themselves.

“The media’s new year’s resolution should be to promote strong role models and communicate the important message that gender is no barrier to the ambitions of young people.”