In one experiment, five young mothers were observed interacting with a 6 month old called beth. They smiled at her often and offered her dolls to play with. She was seen as ‘sweet,’ having a ‘soft cry’. The reaction of a second group of mothers to a child the same age, named Adam, was noticeably different. They offered him a train or other ‘male’ toys to play with. Beth and Adam were actually the same child, dressed in different clothes.
Experiment detailed in my sociology textbook to detail the early impression of gender roles. (via emaconly)

(via mandy-goes-to-med-school)