Gender bias in children 'can develop by age of 4'

Girls as young as four think they are cleverer, try harder and are better behaved than boys, research suggests today.

By the age of seven and eight, boys also believe that their female classmates are more likely to have these qualities.

The study, by academics at Kent University, warns that children's beliefs can become a "self-fulfilling prophecy" and influence achievement.

The researchers presented 238 children aged between four and 10 with a series of "scenarios" such as "this child is really clever" and "this child always finishes their work" and asked to point to a picture of a boy or a girl to say which person they thought was being talked about. The findings show that from reception year onwards - the first year of school - girls said that girls were more likely to have better conduct and achievement in all areas.

The study concludes that schools should consider the way they divide classes and address boys.

It says: "Institutions and individuals can choose to routinely label and use some particular category within children's environments or not.

"For example it is not acceptable to divide the class by race, yet this is not the case for gender.

"This is likely to be due to gender bias being represented as much more socially and normatively acceptable in society."