The Supergirl Dilemma:  Girls Grapple with the Mounting Pressure of Expectations 

Girls today experience intense pressure, at ever younger ages, to be everything to everyone all of the time.While stereotypes about girls’ leadership capabilities and math and science abilities appear to have diminished in the past six years, expectations about physical perfection—dressing “right” and being thin—seem to have increased simultaneously.

Stereotypes about girls’ needing to speak softly, not brag, and to play caretaker roles seem to persist.
Society appears to be making some room for girls to transcend traditional expectations about abilities and aspirations, just as long as they also conform to conventional notions of femininity.

Girls are very pressured today to get good grades, look good, have a lot of friends, do a majority of the chores, and still have time for family. —9th Grade Girl

The Summary Findings of a nationwide survey of school-age children conducted for Girls Incorporated by Harris Interactive are now available. We asked participants in this study whether each of a series of twenty statements about girls’ abilities, interests, and traits is true. We also asked those who reported a statement to be true whether they like or dislike that it is true. These findings reveal that traditional notions of femininity persist into the twenty-first century. Girls still feel societal pressure to be pretty and passive and not smart and aggressive. They also feel that it is their job to please all the people around them. Furthermore, the first two findings seem to point to the expectation that a girl’s appearance is still her most important asset.

If you wish to have copies of these reports, please visit the Girls Incorporated National website where copies can be purchased for a nominal fee.

 View the Summary Findings.