Why are boys perceived as less prosocial than girls by their early childhood educators? The role of pragmatic skills in preschool and kindergarten children

This study examined the moderating role of pragmatic language skills in the relationship between perceived prosociality and gender among children in two different educational contexts and age groups (n = 108 children in childcare centres, age 4-5; n = 113 children in kindergarten, age 5-6). In line with many other studies, the results showed that boys were perceived by their ECEs and kindergarten teachers as being less prosocial than girls. In seeking to explain this gender gap, the moderating role played by perceived pragmatics in the prosociality of girls and boys as perceived by their ECEs and teachers was investigated and tended to be supported. These results are discussed in terms of gender stereotypes and their implications for promoting egalitarian relationships between boys and girls in educational contexts.