Do mothers' gender-related attitudes or comments predict young children's gender beliefs?

Objective. We tested relations among mothers' gender attitudes, mothers' comments about gender, and young children's gender-stereotyped beliefs. Design. Mothers (from mostly middle-class, European-American backgrounds) read and discussed a gender-related story to their child (N = 74, M = 64 months). Mothers' speech was coded as either endorsing or challenging gender stereotypes. Results. Mothers with gender-egalitarian attitudes used more counter-stereotypical comments. Mothers used more counter-stereotypic comments with daughters than sons. Mothers' gender attitudes predicted gender stereotyping in younger children (3-5 years) but not older children (6-7 years). However, mothers' speech did not predict children's gender stereotyping. Conclusions. Mothers' gender-related attitudes and comments may not reliably predict young children's gender-stereotyped beliefs.