Are personality traits important? - People

Gender Differences
Infants are already being treated in gender-specific ways
according to their sex
Fathers describe girl newborns as soft, small, and beautiful, boy
newborns as firm, strong, an d well coordinated.
Mothers who were asked to hold an infant (variously dressed as a girl
named “Beth” and as a boy named “Adam”) talked more to Beth than
Adam, and gave Adam more direct gazes unaccompanied by talk.
Later, adults give aid and comfort to girls while expecting boys
to be self-reliant.
For example, college students were quicker to call for help if the
crying infant was a girl rather than a boy.
When two-year-olds were given a problem-solving task, mothers
were more likely to aid their daughters than their sons.
Children themselves actively promote sex-segregated play,
especially for boys.