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Campaigns and initiatives aimed at advancing equity for girls and women often reference gender—“The future is female” or “Fight like a girl,” for instance. However, is such messaging effective in championing their abilities and in inspiring others? A new study by a team of psychology researchers suggests it’s not. It shows that messages referencing gender in trumpeting female accomplishments in an activity can actually diminish perceptions of girls’ and women’s abilities—among children and adults of both genders. Moreover, these messages appear to reduce interest in participating in the activity itself.