Around the world, a persistent gender imbalance continues to define political leadership roles, with men holding a disproportionately higher number of positions compared to women. For decades, scholars and policymakers have sought to understand the roots of this disparity, and one significant factor has been identified as a gender gap in political ambition, observable even in childhood. Girls tend to demonstrate a decrease in interest in political activities starting as early as middle school, a trend that has raised critical questions about the social and psychological mechanisms shaping these ambitions. A groundbreaking collaborative study involving researchers from prestigious institutions including New York University, Princeton, Yale, Boston University, and the University of California, Riverside, has brought new insights into this phenomenon by examining children as young as five, spanning two culturally distinct societies—the United States and China.
This ambitious investigation targeted children aged 5 to 11 years, aiming to decipher the psychological and social predictors that fuel or impede political ambition among the youngest members of society. The researchers sought to uncover why girls show less inclination toward political leadership aspirations and what factors might counteract this trend. By focusing on such an early developmental stage, the study offers a window into the formative processes that set the stage for later career and leadership paths. The study placed particular emphasis on how children perceive social support from their immediate social environment—family and friends—and how these perceptions shape their motivation to pursue positions of political power, such as the presidency in the U.S. and the role of chairman in China, the latter term being culturally and linguistically neutral regarding gender.
A focal point of the research was understanding children’s beliefs about the traits and characteristics of political leaders, and how these beliefs relate to their own ambitions. Children were asked about stereotypical attributes associated with leadership, including bravery, kindness, intelligence, and assertiveness. While the study found that both American and Chinese children generally valued traits associated with prestige and charisma the highest, such as bravery and intelligence, the relationship between these trait endorsements and the children’s own political ambitions was surprisingly weak. What emerged as a much stronger predictor across both societies was the children’s anticipation of social support, specifically from friends and family, should they choose to pursue leadership roles.
Social support was a crucial variable, differentiating the motivational patterns between boys and girls. In the United States, findings revealed an intriguing trend: girls anticipated receiving more social support for their political ambitions than boys did, a result that may signify shifting cultural attitudes toward female leadership. This anticipation of support was not merely a background variable but was strongly linked to girls’ expressed interest and perceived suitability for political leadership positions. For younger American girls, the predictive power of anticipated social support on political ambition was more than double that observed for boys. Contrastingly, in China, boys reported expecting more social support than girls, aligning with more traditional gender roles in political leadership.
Importantly, the study emphasizes that anticipated social support serves as a pivotal mechanism influencing children’s motivation to engage with political leadership. This link was particularly salient for girls in both countries, underscoring the importance of early social encouragement in shaping political ambition. The findings suggest that while children’s conceptions of what qualities a leader should embody carry cultural variations, the availability and perception of social support within one’s immediate network can either bolster or diminish political aspirations from a very young age, especially among girls.
The methodology underpinning this study is notable for its comparative cross-cultural design and developmental focus. Conducted over three years (2018–2021), the researchers engaged over 360 children with balanced representation by gender and nationality. The children were interviewed about their views on political leadership and queried regarding their future ambitions, allowing for the extrapolation of both qualitative and quantitative data. This multifaceted approach lends robust validity to the findings, highlighting the nuances across cultures while revealing universal patterns in gendered political motivation.
Across developmental stages, the study uncovered intriguing age-related shifts in leadership trait endorsement. Both American and Chinese children gradually came to recognize vulnerability and fallibility—traits such as nervousness or shyness—as more compatible with political leadership as they aged, challenging traditional stereotypes of leadership as purely dominant and assertive. In China, older children notably moved away from endorsing dominance and assertiveness as leadership traits, a trend less pronounced among American children, where such endorsements remained consistently low across all ages. These developmental insights illuminate how children’s evolving perceptions of political leadership traits intersect with cultural norms and gender dynamics.
The implications of these findings reach far beyond academic discourse, presenting real-world avenues for addressing the enduring gender gap in political leadership. Rachel Leshin, a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton and co-lead of the study, underscores the practical importance of fostering social support from family and friends, especially for girls, from an early age. This support appears critical in nurturing political ambition and potentially closing the gender gap in political representation. It suggests that interventions aimed at enhancing social encouragement for girls’ leadership aspirations might yield substantial dividends in the pursuit of gender parity in political offices.
Moreover, the study sheds light on the evolving socio-cultural landscapes in both countries. For example, the greater anticipated social support reported by girls in the U.S. may reflect recent societal efforts towards gender equity and the increasing visibility of female political leaders. This dynamic, however, is juxtaposed against the Chinese context, where traditional gender roles remain more entrenched, and boys expect greater support in political leadership ambitions. Such contrasts offer a powerful reminder that cultural contexts significantly mediate the socialization processes influencing gendered aspirations.
The senior author, Andrei Cimpian of New York University, highlights the surprising nature of some findings, indicating dynamic shifts in gender attitudes that warrant further exploration. The nuanced interplay of age, gender, culture, and social support constituting the framework of this study opens pathways for future research on how socio-political environments and familial messaging can be leveraged to cultivate equitable leadership ambitions among youth.
By illuminating the critical role of perceived social endorsement, this research adds a vital piece to the complex puzzle of gender disparities in politics. It encourages stakeholders—from educators to policymakers to families—to proactively communicate belief and support in girls’ leadership potential, thereby fostering an environment where political ambition can thrive regardless of gender.
In conclusion, this multinational study advances our understanding of the developmental antecedents of political ambition and highlights anticipated social support as a crucial pathway for empowering girls. As societies globally grapple with systemic gender inequities in political leadership, these insights emphasize that early social encouragement can alter trajectories, potentially leading to more balanced representation at the highest echelons of power.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: What predicts girls’ and boys’ political ambition? Evidence from the United States and China.
News Publication Date: 29-Sep-2025
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/xge0001834
References: Leshin, R., Cimpian, A., Shachnai, R., Wang, M., Tian, Y. (2025). What predicts girls’ and boys’ political ambition? Evidence from the United States and China. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0001834
Keywords: social research, political ambition, gender disparity, childhood development, social support, political leadership, cross-cultural study, gender attitudes
