Five-year-old ballet dancer Barry Zhang performs as boys and girls ages 6 and 7 try out at The School of American Ballet Winter Term at the P.S. 124 Yung Wing school in New York's Chinatown in 2015. The School of American Ballet was established in 1934 and is one of the premier ballet academies in the United States.
Gender stereotypes are a society's ideas about the proper way for girls and boys to behave and look. An example is how girls are expected to play with dolls. Boys, on the other hand, are expected to play with trucks. Society gives one gender role to girls, and another to boys.

Stereotypes for boys and girls can be dangerous, a new study says. Children who do not follow them can be made to feel unhappy with themselves. Other children might pick on them, too.

These children are at risk of killing themselves or being killed, the study warns.

Teach Children At A Younger Age

There are programs that try to prevent the harm that gender stereotypes can cause. But these programs are aimed at teenagers. The new study suggests that by the teen years it is already too late.

Gender stereotypes are learned very early, the new study says. They are strongly established in a child's mind by age 10 or 11, study leader Kristin Mmari says.

Every year, billions of dollars are spent on programs for teenagers 15 and older, Mmari said. "By then it's probably too late to make a big difference."

Stereotypes Do Not Treat People Fairly

The study looked at 450 young teenagers from 15 countries. The teens' parents were also interviewed.

In all 15 countries, gender stereotypes for girls emphasize that females are passive. Girls are supposed to stick close to home. They are expected to be passive or quietly accept what others tell them to do or do to them.

Such stereotypes can be dangerous for girls, the new study found. They make it more likely that girls will drop out of school or become victims of violence.

Things are very different for boys. They are encouraged to spend time outside of the home, exploring the world on their own.

Dating Rules By Gender

When it comes to dating, boys are thought of as the ones who should take the first step. Boys can ask a girl out, but girls are not supposed to ask a boy out. The only place people did not think this way was the city of Edinburgh, Scotland.

Meanwhile, girls across the world are taught that their looks are the most important thing about them.

"In New Delhi, the girls talked about their bodies as a big risk that needs to be covered up," Mmari said. In Baltimore, Maryland, girls said they needed to look good, but not too good. If they looked too good, they might attract dangerous attention from men.

Society Can Change Stereotypes

Boys can suffer from gender stereotypes too. Stereotypes that emphasize physical strength can make boys more likely to get into fights. The need to be tough and strong all the time can be hard. It can make some boys fall into using drugs.

The study did find signs that some societies are beginning to accept girls who want to dress or act like boys. This was particularly true in Belgium, China, India and the United States. But, society is harsher on boys. They are still not allowed to act or look like girls. Boys who do are often bullied, teased and beaten.

The study found that young children learn to think of girls as weak and helpless, while boys are seen as "strong and independent." This was true in all the countries studied.

Such ideas are all around us. They are spread by everyone from family members to classmates, teachers and coaches.

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