Beyond individual choice: exploring the role of social learning in gendered subject selection

Social learning biases, fundamental to cultural evolution, may perpetuate gender imbalances in educational choices. Many cultures exhibit gender inequality in labour, following gender differences in adolescents’ school subject choices. Social conformity is high in adolescence, and social learning biases toward own-gender peers may influence these choices. Objective: To examine how gender stereotypes and transmission biases, including age-based and majority-based biases, influence adolescent subject choices and academic decision-making. Methods: Pre-registered studies asked adolescents who identified as male (N=159) and female (N=249) to rate their interest in eight educational projects where the cultural majority is either typically male (e.g., engineering task) or female (e.g., drama task). A novel paradigm measured participants’ interest in these projects when they were endorsed by a same-gender adult or peer (S1) or a peer majority of their own or another gender (S2). Participants also listed their school subject choices and completed an academic gender stereotype scale. Results: Participants significantly preferred projects aligned with subjects where their gender has the established cultural majority (p < .001, η= 0.11). Endorser age (S1: Adult vs Peer) did not affect preferences; however, projects with an own-gender majority were rated more favourably than those with an other-gender majority (S2: p = .003, η= 0.02). These patterns did not differ significantly by participant gender. In their actual subject choices, males selected more stereotypically own-gender subjects than females (p < .001), and males also showed higher gender stereotype endorsement than females. Conclusions: This study highlights how embedded gender stereotypes and peer-gender influences can bias academic choices, particularly in males. These insights are valuable for educators and policymakers developing strategies to promote gender equity in education, who must consider a cultural evolution understanding of the role of social learning biases in decision-making.