February 11, 2016
Does your daughter love math, play soccer with the boys, and hope to be an airplane pilot? Does she also enjoy reading, ballet and want to be a mom when she grows up? If so, then good for her! In a world still plagued by stereotypes impacting girls and women, it’s important to support girls in seeing themselves as multi-faceted, to appreciate all aspects of themselves. It’s important to embrace things that might be less expected or traditional (like loving math), but also including the more traditional roles (like being a mom). When we help girls see that they are capable in a wide range of areas, it promotes positive self-esteem, gives them a sense of control in their lives and teaches them that girls do not have more limitations than boys. There are three important steps adults can take to support this emotional growth in young girls.
Don’t accept “I can’t” as an answer. Social stereotyping sometimes makes girls believe that they are not as capable as boys when it comes to math, sports or even helping you carry heavy shopping bags. Adults sometimes believe these stereotypes which serves to reinforce them. In order to teach girls that they can do many things, challenge your daughter to try by supporting her efforts and don’t let her give up. For example, when you ask her to help carry the shopping bags, hand her an appropriately ‘heavy’ bag. If she claims to not be able to manage, tell her to take a rest part of the way and remind her that you carry heavy bags too, to reassure her she can do it.
Challenge the impact of peer pressure. Even as young as four or five-years old, peer pressure can impact girls, making it difficult to ‘try out’ a wide range of roles. For example, if none of her friends share her interest in science, she may give up on it. However, if you support her passion
with trips to the science museum and by helping her try (safe) at-home experiments together, you will encourage independent thought and communicate the importance of following your heart, regardless of other people’s opinions.
Encourage her to dream big. It might seem too early for your daughter to think about a career—especially one as an airline pilot and it is likely that she will change her mind many times before becoming an adult. However, it’s very important for her to imagine herself in any number of jobs, careers and life experiences that expand her view of herself as a diverse, confident and capable person. Over the course of her childhood, you will want to help her embrace her own skills as a nurturer, scientist, business owner, problem solver and many more roles. In fact, she can learn that she is capable of being more than one of these things at once. For example, a mom (nurturer) can also be a business owner.
Girls have the cognitive and emotional capacity to excel in every aspect of life and it’s our job to make sure that they see themselves as strong, capable and empowered. Whether a girl ultimately chooses a more traditional female role or one that is less conventional, these traits will help her live a confident and happily as an adult.
Don’t accept “I can’t” as an answer. Social stereotyping sometimes makes girls believe that they are not as capable as boys when it comes to math, sports or even helping you carry heavy shopping bags. Adults sometimes believe these stereotypes which serves to reinforce them. In order to teach girls that they can do many things, challenge your daughter to try by supporting her efforts and don’t let her give up. For example, when you ask her to help carry the shopping bags, hand her an appropriately ‘heavy’ bag. If she claims to not be able to manage, tell her to take a rest part of the way and remind her that you carry heavy bags too, to reassure her she can do it.
Challenge the impact of peer pressure. Even as young as four or five-years old, peer pressure can impact girls, making it difficult to ‘try out’ a wide range of roles. For example, if none of her friends share her interest in science, she may give up on it. However, if you support her passion
with trips to the science museum and by helping her try (safe) at-home experiments together, you will encourage independent thought and communicate the importance of following your heart, regardless of other people’s opinions.
Encourage her to dream big. It might seem too early for your daughter to think about a career—especially one as an airline pilot and it is likely that she will change her mind many times before becoming an adult. However, it’s very important for her to imagine herself in any number of jobs, careers and life experiences that expand her view of herself as a diverse, confident and capable person. Over the course of her childhood, you will want to help her embrace her own skills as a nurturer, scientist, business owner, problem solver and many more roles. In fact, she can learn that she is capable of being more than one of these things at once. For example, a mom (nurturer) can also be a business owner.
Girls have the cognitive and emotional capacity to excel in every aspect of life and it’s our job to make sure that they see themselves as strong, capable and empowered. Whether a girl ultimately chooses a more traditional female role or one that is less conventional, these traits will help her live a confident and happily as an adult.
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