Girls can’t do math. Boys can’t read. These negative stereotypes are not only reinforced by teachers and parents but by a child’s peers in the classroom as well, a new study finds.

Boys told reading tests were a game outscored girls on the exams, but scored much lower than girls when told the tests were reading-skill assessments.

So it does matter if boys refuse reading because words and communication are girls’ jobs. It matters not only because the flip side sidelines girls from high-paying STEM gigs before they hit middle ...