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Sex Roles (2014) 70:255266 DOI 10.1007/s11199-013-0317-9
FEMINIST FORUM
Bashful Boys and Coy Girls: A Review of Gender Differences in Childhood Shyness
Laura Doey & Robert J. Coplan & Mila Kingsbury
Published online: 28 September 2013# Springer Science+Business Media New York 2013
Abstract Shyness is a temperamental trait characterized by a fear of novel social situations and self-consciousness in situations of perceived social evaluation. From early childhood to adolescence, shyness is associated with a host of negative outcomes including poor peer relationships (e.g., exclusion, victimization), internalizing problems (e.g., anxiety, depression), and school adjustment difficulties (e.g., lack of academic success, school avoidance). It has been suggested that shyness may be less socially acceptable for boys than for girls because it violates gender norms related to male social assertion and dominance. In the current paper, we review the empirical support for this assertion. More specifically, we examined: (1) possible gender differences in the prevalence of shyness; (2) how important others (i.e., parents, teachers, peers) might respond differentially to shyness in boys compared to girls; and (3) potential gender differences in the implications of shyness across multiple domains. Most of this research has been conducted with school-aged children from Canada and the United States. However, we also explore findings from emerging cross-cultural studies in this area. Possible conceptual mechanisms that may underlie differences in the potential implications of shyness for boys and girls are then discussed, as well as several prospective directions for future research.
Keywords Shyness . Children . Gender differences . Social withdrawal . Unsociability
Introduction
The aim of this review paper was to provide a synthesis of the growing body of literature examining gender differences in the prevalence and correlates of childhood shyness. The last 30 years have witnessed a substantive increase in the study of the causes and consequences of shyness (and related constructs) from early childhood to adolescence (see Rubin et al. 2009, for an extensive review). Some of these studies have either directly or tangentially explored possible gender differences in shyness. It should be noted that unless otherwise indicated, the studies cited herein were conducted with samples from Canada and the U.S. However, there is growing research interest in the cross-cultural similarities and differences in both the meaning and implications of childhood shyness...