Publish at October 08 2025 Updated October 08 2025
It may seem as if over a century of feminist struggle has led to egalitarian societies around the world. Yet it seems that gender equality is treading water, or even moving backwards. One only has to look at the state of societal discussions on issues such as abortion or pay equity to understand that judgments persist. Women who speak out on the Internet are often discredited, insulted and their integrity threatened. So are men, but never to the same level as their female comrades.
"Yes, but that doesn't concern the younger generations," you might think. And yet, studies carried out among young people show that stereotypes die hard. They persist, and that's not good for anyone.
There is a real regression in the idea of equality among the younger generations. In 2014, 62% of those surveyed aged 18 to 24 felt that girls were as scientifically minded as boys. In 2025, only 53% of young adults believe this. Why is this? Social media are largely responsible for this return to biased judgments. Indeed, young people now find themselves in bubbles that feed different visions of the world, including the most retrograde ones. Just think of the whole masculinist sphere with its influencers who believe they are untouchable. Some online circles are also pushing for a more traditional approach to women.
A French study in 2025 revealed that French schools were widening the gap between male and female students in just 4 months of schooling. Very quickly, boys are encouraged to compete and girls to care. There seems to be no way out even in the 2020s. Schools continue to give girls the impression that they are incompetent in science and mathematics.
An experiment carried out with groups of children showed the extent of these stereotypes. Boys and girls were asked to complete the same tracing exercise. In some teams, however, the activity was presented as a geometry exercise, and in others as a drawing exercise. Unsurprisingly, the girls who were given the drawing task found it easier than those who were given the geometry task. The reverse is also partly true.
The problem is that these gender stereotypes are detrimental to academic success. In fact, studies show that those who adhere most closely to these clichés are generally among the dropouts. Because they contribute to a negative view of learners, whatever their gender, confirming their inability to pass their course or training altogether.
It therefore seems more important than ever to advance the idea of gender equality in education worldwide, as Education International reminds us. This may seem obvious in countries where the role of women is even weaker, but, as we can see, it is just as obvious in Western nations.
France published a guide, in February 2025, on how to combat stereotypes in mathematics among girls. This means, of course, that teachers are called upon to react to the issue. They should already be working on their personal biases and then having discussions with students about the expressions used or the quips employed in the playground or classroom. The idea is to show what lies beneath these seemingly banal words. They can consult the Canopé website, which includes an escape game they can play with their class to explore the subject.
Early childhood specialists also need to pay attention, and offer environments that will promote greater gender equality. For example, don't reserve role-playing games for girls only. This means discussing with parents their often unfounded prejudices about gender differences in intelligence. Parents have a vital role to play, as they are the child's first reference adults. They have to deal with these issues, achieve a less gendered and alternating distribution of tasks, and find male and female role models who break away from clichés.
This fundamental work has clearly not been done enough. Hence the importance of repeating it today, when egalitarian ideas are losing ground. What's more, artificial intelligences also display sexist biases that need to be deconstructed. In fact, Amazon has stopped using AIs in its hiring process, as it only selected CVs from male candidates... In this field too, there's still a lot of inclusivity work to be done.
Image by IA (Copilot)
References :
"How AI reinforces gender bias, and what we can do to try and do something about it." UN Women. Last updated: February 5, 2025. https://www.unwomen.org/fr/nouvelles/interview/2025/02/comment-lia-renforce-les-prejuges-sexistes-et-ce-que-lon-peut-faire-pour-tenter-dy-remedier.
Craine, Éva. "Les Stéréotypes De Genre Ne Sont Pas De Disparaître, D'après Cette étude." Le HuffPost. Last updated: May 12, 2025. https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/life/article/les-stereotypes-de-genre-ne-sont-pas-pres-de-disparaitre-d-apres-cette-etude_249918.html.
Davenel, Sidonie. ""Many gender stereotypes resurface among young people", according to a France Stratégie report." Le Monde.fr. Last updated: May 13, 2025. https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/13/de-nombreux-stereotypes-de-genre-resurgissent-chez-les-jeunes-selon-un-rapport-de-france-strategie_6605784_3224.html.
Gaubert, Camille. ""Girls suck at math": school reinforces this gender stereotype in just 4 months." Sciences et Avenir. last updated: June 11, 2025. https://www.sciencesetavenir.fr/sante/cerveau-et-psy/les-filles-sont-nulles-en-maths-comment-l-ecole-renforce-ce-stereotype-de-genre-des-le-cp_186349.
Jacquemot, Charlotte. "Ressenti et discriminations de genre : ce qui freine la féminisation des filières scientifiques." Fondation Jean Jaurès. Last updated: February 10, 2025. https://www.jean-jaures.org/publication/le-ressenti-a-t-il-un-genre-decryptage-de-la-sous-representation-des-femmes-en-sciences/.
Lefèvre, Catherine. "Gender stereotypes: how early childhood professionals can discuss them with parents." Les Pros De La Petite Enfance. last updated January 16, 2025. https://www.lesprosdelapetiteenfance.fr/article/stereotypes-de-genre-comment-les-professionnels-de-la-petite-enfance-peuvent-aborder-le-sujet-avec-les-parents/.
"Students who adhere the most to gender stereotypes are the ones who drop out the most." Réseau Réussite Montréal. last updated January 28, 2025. https://www.reseaureussitemontreal.ca/dossiers-thematiques/egalite-filles-garcons-reussite-scolaire/.
"Lutter contre les stéréotypes de genre à l'école." Réseau Canopé. Réseau Canopé. Last updated: February 4, 2025. https://www.reseau-canope.fr/actualites/article/lutter-contre-les-stereotypes-de-genre-a-lecole.
Micollet, Prescillia. "Insults between pupils: fighting sexism from elementary school onwards." The Conversation. Last updated: March 4, 2025. https://theconversation.com/insultes-entre-eleves-lutter-contre-le-sexisme-des-lecole-primaire-249301.
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