Children's use of race and gender as cues to social status

Social hierarchies are ubiquitous and determine a wide range of personal and intergroup outcomes, yet surprisingly little is known about when children develop beliefs about the structure of status hierarchies they might find in their communities. The present study (3.5-6.9 years; N = 420) found that the beliefs that social status varies by gender and race emerge in early childhood. For gender, children expected males to be higher status, and this expectation was unrelated to gender-based preferences. For race, children expected White people to be higher status, and this expectation was related to pro-white social bias. Children’s gender- and race-related expectations about status were unrelated to their beliefs about their own personal status. Implications for the development and developmental consequences of representations of status hierarchies will be discussed.