Berandaadolescence in girls ~ "What Can I Do to Make Myself More Confident in Sports?'' Age 17 : Many aspects of girls' self-perceptions and mental health do not decline during adolescence; on most measures, the variations among girls are much larger than the differences between girls and boys. Girls' self-concepts of ability and self-esteem vary significantly across domains and ethnic groups. Competence beliefs for both girls and boys are related to the gender stereotyping of the activity. Girls have higher expectations of success than boys in their general academic abilities across domains and in their social skills, whereas boys are more confident about their math and sports abilities.
High school senior girls and boys are equally confident of their success in business and law and in their leadership, independence, intellectual, and computer skills. Girls and boys are equally invested in future careers, but girls place less emphasis on money and job status. Their career preferences show differences related to traditional gender expectations. Many adolescent girls still believe there is an inherent conflict between feminine goals and values and competitive achievement activities. This belief does limit their future opportunities. For many adolescent girls, sensitivity to failure limits their willingness to take risks for higher rewards or more demanding opportunities.
Declines in self-esteem during adolescence are not inevitable consequences of either pubertal or school changes. Both girls' and boys' self-esteem decreases during the high school years; but girls' self-esteem tends to drop more over time. African American girls' self-esteem does not decrease over the high school years and tends to be higher than both White and African American boys.
It is important to note that these gendered patterns have been observed to decrease over time. Young women today are more likely to aspire to traditional male-stereotyped fields. In addition, young women today are much more involved in athletic activities than both their mothers and grandmothers.
Research Agenda: Gender and Self-Esteem
- What factors account for the cultural and ethnic differences in patterns of adolescent girls' self-esteem?
- How can adolescent girls be encouraged to resist traditional gender role expectations in considering academic pursuits and future careers?
- How can adolescent girls be encouraged to attribute their academic success to their ability as well as to their effort and hard work?
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