Gender stereotypes about food in pre-school children.

There is a large body of literature showing a close connection between food and gender stereotypes (Vartanian, Herman, Polivy, 2007). Meat, especially red meat, is considered the quintessential male food and consuming it, especially in social occasions, represents a tool to affirm men’s virility (Vartanian, 2015). Fruits, vegetables, dairy products, desserts and fish, on the other hand, are considered a typical feminine food, and choosing such foods represents a way for women to increase their femininity in the eyes of their co-eaters (Vartanian et al., 2007). The literature review shows that the food gender stereotypes has been mainly investigated in adulthood, whereas there are few studies involving children. The aim of the present study is to verify whether pre-school age children already express gender stereotypes related to food both explicitly and implicitly. Furthermore, we have verified whether mothers, with their attitudes and behaviours towards food, can influence this association. 137 children (4-6 years) participated in the study by completing two tasks: in the first they had to associate images of different foods with images of men, women, children and girls. In the second, they had to complete a IAT measuring the association between foods (meat and vegetables) and male and female faces. Mothers were given a questionnaire that explored gender stereotypes about food and their eating habits. The results show that male children already associate meat with men and vegetables to women and that generally mothers with their behaviours and attitudes seem to influence this association. The theoretical and practical implications will be discussed.