This project has received funding via the EUI ESR call 2026, dedicated to Early Stage Researchers, with the contribution of the EUI Widening Europe Programme. The EUI Widening Europe Programme initiative, backed by contributions from the European Union and EUI Contracting States, is designed to strengthen internationalisation, competitiveness, and quality in research in Widening countries, and thus foster a more cohesive European Higher Education and Research area.
For decades, the gender gap in political attitudes has been narrowing. Recent evidence indicates this may no longer be the case, as the gender gap in attitudes is again widening, especially among the youngest cohorts. Our study investigates this puzzling pattern among adolescents and assesses whether school-based interventions can reduce it. We leverage an educational programme in the United Kingdom that runs book clubs combining positive intergroup contact and exposure to socially diverse literature. We survey pupils and experimentally estimate the impact of participating on endorsed gender stereotypes. The study will show how schools can reduce gender-based polarisation.
We ask three main research questions in this project:
- To what extent are the gender norms of early adolescents (11-13 years old) and adolescents (14-16 years old) polarised by gender group?
- What baseline factors other than gender group correlate with higher endorsed gender stereotypes among this population? I.e., social media use, socio-economic background, reading habits, etc.?
- Can educational programmes, which expose adolescents to discussions on gender roles within groups with positive mixed-gender social contact, decrease gender-based stereotypes and improve school climate?
For more information about the EUI Widening Europe Programme, please visit the official webpage.