Does gender affect the way we draw?
In today’s world, gender roles and gender identities are changing. But does our gender affect the way we create art? Well, to answer that question, a group of scientists studied 216 children from toddler to high school age, to see if they could observe any gender-based patterns in their drawings. The children were given free choice in what they wanted to draw. They weren’t prompted by a teacher like in art classes for kids. This is what they found:
Shape
Girls tend to draw more curved, rounded shapes like flowers and hearts. Boys tend to draw straighter, boxier shapes like cars and buses.
Photo by Tim Mossholder
Figures
In general, both boys and girls prefer to draw their own gender.
Colour
girls tend to use a greater variety of colours per drawing than boys do. They also prefer warmer colours (like pink) while boys tend to lean towards cooler colours (like blue).
Photo by GR Stocks
Page position
The left size of the page seemed to correlate with nurturing and past events. It often featured mothers. The right side of the page related to the future and communication. It was more associated with fathers.
Overall findings
Overall, the study concluded that gender differences do exist in children’s drawings when it comes to colour, content and drawing position. Interestingly, the research also suggests that these differences remain stable into our adult years as well.
How much of this is innate and how much of this is a consequence of external factors (like advertising, colours of children’s toys, the influence of cartoons etc) is hard to know. But one thing is for certain, no matter what our gender or natural drawing preference, we can ALL broaden our creativity. We are not bound to our natural inclination or drawing choices. We can challenge our style, enlarge our understanding of colour, shape, form and push the boundaries of each artwork we create. There is no limit to our creativity….unless of course we limit it!
That is why I encourage all parents to enrol their children into art classes for kids, to help them expand their creative vision. I even encourage all adults to join an art class, whether than be online art classes, in-person art classes in Casuarina or even a single paint and sip online class. There is so much to be learned when it comes to art, the possibilities are endless, as is the fun!
Anne!
PS if the connection between children’s drawings and emotions interests you, you might like to read my blog on the meaning of children’s drawings or the different stages of children’s drawings. For example, did you know children who drew good-sized figures, prominently on the page were well-balanced and secure. On the flip side, children who drew small-figures in the corner or near the lower edge of the page, often felt inadequate or insecure.
