Young Canadians More Traditional than Adults

An international poll has found that Canadian adolescent boys are more likely to subscribe to old-fashioned gender stereotypes than their parents.

A new international study suggests that young Canadians are more keen on gender stereotyping than their parents and European counterparts. According to Plan International, 31 per cent of Canadian boys between 12 and 17 think the most important role for women is in the home. That’s compared to only 24 per cent of Canadian adults and 15 per cent of boys in the U.K. Similarly, almost half of the Canadian boys said men should be responsible for their family’s income and agreed that men must be tough and take more risks. (Only about 26 per cent of men in Rwanda believed that last line, for comparison.) On the bright side, almost all Canadian adolescents felt girls and boys should have equal rights and opportunities (women just shouldn't use those opportunities, ideally).