Emerging field-specific beliefs about brilliance and their gendered impact on children's academic interests

Cultural beliefs that success in certain fields depends on brilliance undermine women's participation in those fields, as demonstrated in adults. Understanding the development and consequences of these field-specific brilliance beliefs in early childhood is crucial for addressing gender gaps at their roots. The present research (N = 352; 5- to 10-year olds; 50% girls; 45.4% White) showed that children around age six began to attribute brilliance to computer science but not biology, suggesting that distinct associations between brilliance and fields emerge early. Brilliance beliefs shaped children's academic interests: girls were less interested than boys in pursuing a science field requiring brilliance. These findings highlight that gender disparities take hold early, and disrupting brilliance-field associations may promote greater gender equity.