What Sexists, Ageists, and Only-Child Skeptics Have in Common

Key points

Most stereotypes are long held and stuck in the past.

Stereotypes tend to hold fast even after disproven.

Changing what people believe takes time, but it can be done.

Sexists, ageists, and only-child skeptics buy into negative myths and unsupported biases. In short, they are mostly stuck in the past and misinformed. The dated thinking around these issues is deeply embedded and fed by what a person believes and where they get their information .

Most of us cling to one stereotype or another. Unintentionally, we may hold on to stereotypes about race, firstborn or middle children, single women, childless women, gender , or older people. The teen years come with their own set of stereotypes. We expect adolescents to rebel and be irresponsible or difficult, for example.

L