Professor claims that girls feel they must ‘play dumb’ to please boys

A Warwick professor has claimed that girls feel they must ‘play dumb’ to please boys.

Dr Maria do Mar Pereira, a professor of Sociology at the University of Warwick, spent three months among a class of school children aged 14 to observe all aspects of young people’s interactions, feelings and behaviour.

As part of her research, Dr Pereira spent three months as a Year 8 student; during this time she participated in classes, took examinations and joined the pupils in the cafeteria and even went with students on after school shopping trips.

The professor’s research discovered that by the age of 14 boys had developed the belief that girls should be less intelligent. As a result, it seemed that girls of this age group felt the need to play down their intelligence to please their male peers.

She suggested that her findings stemmed from rigid gender conventions which encourage children to conform to traditional masculinity and femininity.

Dr Pereira argued: “ There are very strong pressures in society that dictate what is a proper man and a proper woman.Young people try to adapt their behaviour to fit into society.”

She added: “One of the pressures is that young men must be more dominant – cleverer, stronger, taller, funnier – than young women, and that being in a relationship with a woman who is more intelligent will undermine their masculinity.”

Lissie Whittall, a Classical Civilisation with Philosophy student was shocked by the report’s revelations and echoed Dr Pereira’s concerns: “It’s pretty horrifying that this belief is found among guys so young. Without proper education in the matter they could easily grow up believing that it’s ‘unmasculine’ to date a woman who is more intelligent than them.”

Ms Whittall continued: “But I also acknowledge that plenty of women often play up to this scenario and act ‘dumb’ around men in order to manipulate them. I am guilty of doing it myself, pretending to be dumb in order to get a man to do something for me.”

Indeed, Dr Pereira insisted that the impact of gender roles needs to be fully discussed to protect future generations of young people.

She urged: “Our ideas of what constitutes a real man or woman are not natural; they are restrictive norms that are harmful to children of both genders. The belief that men have to be dominant over women makes boys feel constantly anxious and under pressure to prove their power.”

She continued “we must promote ideas about gender which are less rigid, and recognise there are many ways of being a man and a woman.”

Dr Pereira has compiled her research in her latest book, Doing Gender in the Playground: The Negotiation of Gender and Sexuality in Schools, which has just been named the best qualitative book worldwide since 2010 by the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry.