Sex Differences and Gender-Role Differences in Children's Drawings

Abstract

This study examines sex differences and gender-role differences with respect to levels of theme realism, aggression, expressiveness, and artistic skill shown in children's drawings. A sample of 114 third, fourth, and fifth graders produced a figure-action drawing and completed the Children's Personal Attributes Questionnaire (CPAQ). With respect to sex differences, adult judges rated drawings by boys as more unrealistic and aggressive than drawings by girls. Judges also rated fifth graders' drawings as showing more artistic skill than third or fourth graders' products. However, there were no sex differences for artistic skill. With respect to gender-role differences, male-typed children produced more violent drawings than did female-typed children, irrespective of their actual sex.