Addressing Sexism With Children: Young Adults’ Beliefs About Bias Socialization

College students’ beliefs concerning socializing children about sexism and other culturally important topics were investigated using mixed methods. In Study 1, participants (N = 71) defined sexism and explained their beliefs about addressing sexism with children. Thirty-five percent argued against childhood sexism-socialization. Emergent themes provided insights about how sexism is viewed and yielded data needed to design a closed-ended socialization-beliefs survey. In Study 2, students (N = 141) completed this survey and reported their feminist beliefs and childhood-socialization experiences. Childhood sexism-socialization was more commonly endorsed by women, stronger feminists, and those who had themselves experienced childhood sexism-socialization. Descriptive data document socialization beliefs about 21 culturally important topics. Results suggest that programs aimed at socializing children about sexism should also address beliefs of the adults responsible for program implementation.