Girls are weak and boys are strong – that’s the crushing finding of a comprehensive new study of children and their parents around the world.
The groundbreaking global study, released by the World Health Organization and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, reveals that it makes no difference whether a child is raised in Baltimore, Beijing or New Delhi – the universal stereotype surrounding what it means to be a girl or a boy prevails.
“We found children at a very early age – from the most conservative to the most liberal societies – quickly internalize this myth that girls are vulnerable and boys are strong and independent,” said Robert Blum, director of the Global Early Adolescent Study, based at Johns Hopkins University. “And this message is being constantly reinforced at almost every turn, by siblings, classmates, teachers, parents, guardians, relatives, clergy and coaches.”
The six-year study of gender expectations around the world saw researchers speak to 450 children aged 10 to 14 with a parent or guardian, from 15 different countries of varying degrees of wealth and development.
They spoke to families in Bolivia, Belgium, Burkina Faso, China, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Scotland, South Africa, the United States and Vietnam. The research teams found a surprising – and dispiriting – uniformity of attitudes about what it takes to be a male or female.
“There are tremendous commonalities in young people in as diverse places as Beijing and Kinshasa,” said Blum.
The hegemonic myth
The study calls it the hegemonic myth: the perception that men are the dominant sex, strong and independent, while women need to be protected.
Universally, girls are warned off taking the initiative in any relationship and by the age of 10, already have the distinct impression that their key asset is their physical appearance. Girls also believe that brilliance is a male trait.
Boys, on the other hand, are encouraged to spend time outside of the home, unsupervised, to explore the world. And when it came to relationships (with the exception of one city, Edinburgh) boys were consistently viewed as being the ones allowed to take the first step.
Puberty deepens the divide.
“Around the world, pubertal boys are viewed as predators and girls as potential targets and victims. Messages such as ‘do not sit like that, do not wear that, do not talk to him, boys will ruin your future’ support the gender division of power…In some places, girls come to internalize these norms to even a greater extent than boys,” says one of the papers in the study.
These expectations become restrictive “gender straitjackets” that can have negative consequences, according to the researchers, especially for girls.
Prevention programs need to start earlier
The study warned that gender stereotypes can raise the risk of depression, suicide, violence and HIV among adolescents. Such beliefs can “leave girls at greater risk of dropping out of school or suffering physical and sexual violence, child marriage, early pregnancy, HIV and other sexually transmitted infections,” said the report.
It suggested that vast amounts of money are wasted on stereotype prevention programs for teenagers because efforts must begin much earlier.
“Adolescent health risks are shaped by behaviors rooted in gender roles that can be well-established in kids by the time they are 10 or 11 years old,” said Kristin Mmari, lead researcher for qualitative research on the study.
“Yet we see billions of dollars around the world invested in adolescent health programs that don’t kick in until they are 15 and by then, it’s probably too late to make a big difference.”