| Sumario: | Based on data for N = 2,756 children (1,410 girls; M = 8.10 years) from 16 data sets spanning five nations, this study investigated relations between national gender disparities and children's beliefs about gender and academic subjects. One national-level gender disparity involved inequalities in socioeconomic standing favoring adult males over females (U.N. Human Development Index). The other involved national-level gaps in standardized math achievement, favoring boys over girls (Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study Grade 4). Three novel findings emerged. First, girls' results from a Child Implicit Association Test showed that implicit associations linking boys with math and girls with reading were positively related to both national male advantages in socioeconomic standing and national boy advantages in Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Second, these relations were obtained for implicit but not explicit measures of children's beliefs linking gender and academic subjects. Third, implicit associations linking gender to academic subjects increased significantly as a function of children's age. We propose a psychological account of why national gender disparities are likely to influence children's developing implicit associations about gender and academic subjects, especially for girls. Public Significance Statement: In an international study, we examined how national patterns of gender disparities relate to elementary school children's implicit associations between gender and academic subjects. The study involved 2,756 children from five countries. We found that, for girls, national variations in gender inequalities in socioeconomic status and academic achievement significantly predicted stronger implicit associations linking boys with math and girls with reading. Moreover, children's implicit associations linking gender and academic subjects significantly increased with age. The findings have implications for psychology, educational equity, and public policy.
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