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Pretty in pink: The early development of gender-stereotyped colour preferences

Vanessa Lobue1, Judy S Deloache

  • 1Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA. vlobue@psychology.rutgers.edu

The British Journal of Developmental Psychology
|August 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Girls develop a preference for pink, while boys increasingly avoid it. This study investigates the origins of color preferences in young children, challenging traditional gendered color associations.

Area of Science:

  • Developmental Psychology
  • Child Psychology
  • Gender Studies

Background:

  • Societal norms often associate pink with baby girls and blue with baby boys.
  • Existing research indicates children prefer blue, but evidence for a specific girl preference for pink is lacking.
  • This study addresses the gap in understanding the development of color preferences in early childhood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the emergence of sex differences in color preferences, specifically concerning the color pink.
  • To determine if young girls develop a unique preference for pink and if boys avoid it.

Main Methods:

  • A large cross-sectional study involving children aged 7 months to 5 years.
  • Children were presented with pairs of objects, with one object always being pink, and asked to make a choice.
  • Analysis focused on age-related choices and sex differences in pink object selection.

Main Results:

  • By age 2, girls selected pink objects more frequently than boys.
  • Significant preference for pink over other colors emerged in girls by 2.5 years of age.
  • Boys demonstrated a concurrent increase in avoidance of the color pink.

Conclusions:

  • Sex differences in pink color preference are established in early childhood.
  • These differences arise from young girls' increasing attraction to pink and boys' growing avoidance of it.
  • Findings challenge assumptions about innate color preferences and highlight the influence of early developmental factors.

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