Fear of success and gender-role stereotyping

Abstract

This paper presents a qualitative examination of stories displaying "Fear of Success" (FOS) imagery, written by Jamaican teenagers in response to cues concerning male and female success. Generally, boys and girls characterized both cues in accordance with commonly held stereotypes, showing boys as self-directed and independent, while girls achieved their ends through manipulating others. The stereotypes are more rigid from students in single-sex schools (SS), with the boys in particular being very hostile towards the successful female. Although more girls from mixed schools (COED) express FOS in relation to girls than either SS girls or COED boys, their responses do not dehumanize their gender. These data suggest that a COED upbringing might augur well for development of mutual respect and understanding between the sexes