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| Study Reveals Gender Bias: Parents and Mentors Undervalue Girls' Chess Abilities |
Parents and mentors frequently harbor a bias against girls when it comes to their potential in chess, particularly if they believe that chess success hinges on brilliance. These eye-opening discoveries, the first comprehensive evidence of gender bias against young female chess players, have been unveiled in a study conducted by psychology researchers at New York University, with co-authorship by WGM Jennifer Shahade.
In both the Walter Tevis novel and the immensely popular Netflix series, "The Queen's Gambit," the protagonist, Beth Harmon, continually faced underestimation and skepticism in the male-dominated world of chess. The study, titled "Checking Gender Bias: Parents and Mentors Perceive Less Chess Potential in Girls," and published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, illuminates the real-life challenges that mirror Harmon's experiences as a young chess player.
Sophie Arnold, an NYU doctoral student and the lead author of the study, asserts, "While it is inspiring to see a fictional woman excelling in a male-dominated arena, the stark reality is that women remain underrepresented in real-world chess. This study reveals one key factor contributing to this disparity: Parents and coaches often harbor biases against young female players in their care."
One of the most significant findings of the study is that parents and coaches tend to set lower potential ratings for girl players compared to boys. This bias is even more pronounced among coaches who believe that "brilliance" is a prerequisite for success in chess. Additionally, they hold the belief that female students are more likely to quit the game due to perceived lack of ability compared to their male counterparts.
Andrei Cimpian, a professor in NYU's Department of Psychology and the senior author of the study, notes, "It's striking that even parents and coaches who have a vested interest in the success of girls in chess harbor these biases, sometimes overlooking the very barriers hindering girls' progress."
Jennifer Shahade, an NYU alumna and co-author involved in designing the study, poses a thought-provoking question: "Would you be inclined to participate in an activity where your potential is pre-judged negatively by your parents and coaches before you've even started?"
In the United States Chess Federation ("US Chess"), a mere 13% of players are women, and this percentage is even lower in many other chess federations. While previous studies have explored the gender disparity in chess, often focusing on perceived deficits in girls' chess abilities, this study marks the first to emphasize the role of adult leadership.
Sophie Arnold adds, "This research shifts the focus from chess being a 'girls and women problem' to recognizing it as a 'chess problem'."
The New York University research team interviewed nearly 300 parents and mentors, with 90% of them being men, who were recruited through the US Chess Federation. They were asked to evaluate and invest in around 650 young chess players. Additionally, parents and coaches were questioned about whether they believed that brilliance was necessary for success in chess, a measure frequently used to identify stereotyping and gender bias in academic domains.
Interestingly, the coaches and parents were often unaware that their own presumptions might serve as barriers to girls excelling in chess. Specifically, coaches who believed brilliance was a prerequisite for chess success also anticipated that their female mentees would be more inclined to quit the game due to perceived lack of ability compared to their male mentees. Paradoxically, parents and coaches did not perceive any gender-related disparities in the supportive environment of chess or the likelihood of girls quitting the game.
However, the study also highlighted positive aspects. Coaches and parents did not exhibit bias in the amount of resources, such as time and money, they were willing to invest in female players compared to their male counterparts.
In conclusion, this study sheds light on the bias against young female chess players and its potential impact on the gender gap in chess. It underscores the role of parents and mentors in addressing this issue, highlighting implications for fields like science and technology, which also suffer from gender imbalances and are culturally linked to intellectual prowess.
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