Gender attitudes, self-perceived traits, and developmental outcomes among Pakistani children in middle childhood

This study examined gender attitudes and self-perceptions of culturally positive traits (bravery, leadership, and competitiveness) among 838 eight-year-old children (422 boys, 416 girls) in rural Pakistan. We assessed their attitudes patterns, and explored associations with mental health and academic outcomes. Overall, 35% of boys and 39% of girls attributed positive traits to both genders (egalitarian), associated with high self-perceptions of positive traits and more favorable outcomes. Children who endorsed gender stereotypes tended to favor their own gender, i.e. attribute positive traits only to their own gender. 5.5% of boys who attributed positive traits to women only (women-attributing) had lower Urdu ({beta}= -0.50, 95% CI: -0.80, -0.20) and Math ({beta}= -0.76, 95% CI: -1.06, -0.46) scores, while 12.7% of girls who attributed positive traits to men only (men-attributing) had modestly higher Math scores ({beta}= 0.21, 95% CI: -0.03, 0.46). 9.5% of boys and 15.4% of girls attributed different positive traits to both genders (mixed-attributing), which was associated with poorer outcomes, including higher depressive symptoms among boys ({beta}= 0.45, 95% CI: 0.09, 0.82). 36.0% of boys and 33.4% of girls reported high self-perception of positive traits, but self-perception alone was not strongly associated with outcomes. Findings suggest that, by middle childhood, children in rural Pakistan exhibit distinct gender attitudes that link with developmental outcomes. Notably, women-attributing and mixed-attributing attitudes were linked to poorer academic and mental health outcomes especially among boys, indicating potential educational and psychosocial costs of holding nonconforming gender views in patriarchal contexts.