Imagine you are listening into adult conversation in a nursery. What would you guess is the sex of the children described in the following comments?
* 'It's worrying, A is so sensitive.'
* 'B won't settle to anything; the only thing that matters is getting outside.'
* 'C is so helpful, always ready to be caring with the little ones.'
* 'D has hardly any pretend play; it's just cars all the time.'
You may say the children might be boys or girls and, of course they could. But if we are honest:
* Child A is more likely to be a boy. The general assumption is that boys are tougher, so a little boy who shows his 'softer' emotions is seen as out of the ordinary and some adults worry that he will have problems.
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