Don’t call girls ‘cute’ or ‘sweet’ as this could stifle their creativity, woke researchers claim

Don’t call girls ‘cute’ or ‘sweet’ as this could stifle their creativity, woke researchers claim.

A new study sponsored by Lego suggests that the use of ‘gendered’ language prevents girls from expressing themselves freely.

Girls feel less inspired to be creative when they are praised with words like ‘sweet’ and ‘beautiful’ instead of ‘cool’ or ‘brave’, the study shows.

The researchers also say that girls are more likely to try new things when their mistakes are not criticized, but rather “praised more as learning opportunities.”

Commenting on these findings, author and parenting researcher Jennifer Wallace said: ‘Biased language reinforces traditional gender roles, which can play a role in limiting girls’ creativity and perpetuating systemic inequality.’

The researchers interviewed 25,532 children between the ages of five and twelve and 36,000 parents from all over the world.

The results showed that society uses terms such as ‘sweet’, ‘beautiful’, ‘beautiful’ and ‘cute’ about seven percent more often for girls than for boys.

In contrast, terms such as ‘brave’, ‘genius’, ‘innovative’ and ‘cool’ are used twice as often only for boys.

While this seems relatively harmless, the researchers argue that it can have an impact on their willingness to express themselves and explore new things.

Nearly two-thirds of girls between the ages of five and 12 said the language they heard made them worry about making mistakes and made them less likely to experiment.

More than half of the children involved said they thought adults were more likely to listen to boys’ creative ideas than girls.

Ms Wallace said: ‘These implicit biases can hinder girls’ confidence and limit their opportunities in male-dominated fields.’

Nearly two-thirds of girls between the ages of five and 12 said the language they heard made them less willing to express themselves and try new things (stock image)

The researchers also suggest that girls in particular may be susceptible to the pressures of perfectionism as they get older.

This, they argue, leads to girls feeling like they can’t make creative decisions because of the risk of failing or doing something wrong.

British girls can feel this pressure particularly acutely, with 71 percent agreeing that they needed to be ‘more perfect’ than boys – six percent above the global average.

At the age of five, 76 percent of girls surveyed said they were confident in their creativity, but by the age of 12 this had decreased by seven percent.

Dr. Anika Petrella, researcher and psychotherapist, says: ‘A perfection mentality encourages us to stay on our path, fear failure and give up at the first sign of struggle.

“Teaching girls that experimentation triumphs over perfection is crucial to strengthening their authentic, creative selves.”

This isn’t the first time researchers have suggested that gendered language can have a long-term effect on children.

Some research has suggested that children learn stereotypes about gender by the age of seven, which can influence the types of jobs they think are suitable for them.

One study found that girls who were given Barbies to play with believed they had fewer career options compared to boys.

Scientists have even argued that children’s books featuring “feminine worlds” could perpetuate gender stereotypes.

The research shows that books with female protagonists are more about affection than about professions.

Woman-related words focused on affection, school-related words and communication verbs, such as ‘explained’ and ‘listened’.

Meanwhile, masculine words focused more on occupations, transportation and tools, and less on emotional needs.