Cultivating Girls’ Resilience

Kathy Weston has over 15 years experience as a social researcher with a particular interest in parenting, education and family life. She currently works as a motivational speaker and is passionate about bridging the gap between academic research and parenting.

The number of out-of-school girls worldwide has dropped by 79 million in the last 20 years (UNICEF, 2020). Yet, as access to education improves around the world for girls and young women, we have another fight on our hands. There is a pressing need to recognise girls’ resilience, sustain it and ensure that optimal conditions exist for girls to thrive emotionally, academically and in the digital world. We know that girls are generally less resilient than boys, and that their mental and emotional wellbeing is declining, with suicide the second leading cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19 worldwide (UNICEF).

In the UK, 30% of 15 year old girls experience high levels of emotional difficulties, as opposed to 18% of boys, and for girls, unlike boys, emotional problems increase with age (HBSC, 2020). Teen girls are struggling with their body image (only 49% of 15 year old girls think that their body is ‘about the right size’), rising anxiety, perfectionism and the unique challenges that come with access to social media (OFCOM, 2020). They worry more than boys, and can struggle to communicate with parents, particularly with fathers. 50% of girls feel significant academic pressure (only 30% of boys feel the same) and girls are less likely to enjoy school. Girls also engage in fewer behaviours that promote health. There appear to be universal challenges associated with moving from girl to womanhood in the 21st Century.

Part and parcel of any educational programme worldwide, should be a focus on resilience. What does it mean to be resilient? It means being a ‘thinking scientist’ and staying curious. It means remaining flexible and open to others’ perspectives. It means not repeating things that you know don’t work, reframing challenge as opportunity and maintaining a sense of optimism, humour and hope about the future.

Cultivating positivity may seem challenging given the contexts that some young women find themselves in, but we need to aim high. All young people should understand that there is a proactive component in resilience. We decide if we are resilient; paying careful note to the times when we demonstrated it by overcoming difficulties and barriers.

Agency is important when cultivating resilience. Young women don’t need other people to fix or mollycoddle them. They need to know that they have personal power and should strive to reach the multiple options, choices and opportunities available to them. Our role is to create pathways which enable them to do this. We must ensure that they are conscious of the family and community values that can psychologically anchor them, give them access to positive role models, give effective praise when they demonstrate resilience and provide them with opportunities to experience intellectual and physical challenge. Girls also need to be conscious of the threats to their own personal resilience. Self-awareness is key and should be facilitated by as supportive a network as possible. Behind every resilient girl, is someone saying “I believe in you, now give it a go!”.

From Engage issue 20.

DR KATHY WESTON • October 13, 2021
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