ABSTRACT
Empirical studies typically indicate that girls both perform more pro-social behaviour and are judged as more pro-social than boys from as young as 2 years (Fabes & Eisenberg, 1996). However, although many studies find similar gender differences in judgement and behaviour, recent research has suggested that the link between gender and pro-sociality may not be quite as clear-cut as first thought. For example, gender differences in pro-social behaviour may vary as a function of type of behaviour, the recipient of behaviour, the age of participant and study methodology (Eisenberg et al., 2007). Furthermore, studies using self-and otherreports yield much larger effect sizes for gender differences in pro-social behaviour than those using observational methods (Fabes & Eisenberg, 1996). These variations suggest, among other things, that the stereotype that girls are ‘nicer’ (or more pro-social) than boys might influence reports of pro-social behaviour. This influence may, in turn, act as a socializing force that creates and sustains these gender differences in behaviour and the stereotype itself.
