Why are girls so hesitant to participate in class? And when they do speak, why do they speak softly, even timidly? Why do they often fail to assume significant leadership positions in co-ed high schools? The Huffington Post reported last year that girls are much less likely to be leaders in high school STEM classes than boys. These disparities sadly persist, as these girls become women in the workplace.
Indeed, women equality in the workplace was a big topic of discussion in the news last week. Covered by podcasts and news networks alike, we took stock of the modifications that have been made in the workplace and unfortunately of how far we still have to go before we effect real change.
With the release on Tuesday of Princeton Professor and New America’s CEO and President Anne-Marie Slaughter’s new book, Unfinished Business, workplaces are charged to improve caring issues for men and women alike. Slaughter believes that this will be integral to our achieving true equality. A day later, new statistics released by the McKinsey Group under Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg’s Lean In organization tout that parity will not be achieved in upper level management positions in our country for 100 years. Imagine that: 100 more years of gender inequality!
While statistics from college admissions may lead us to believe that women are outpacing men in high school, the evidence suggests otherwise. True, college applications from women outnumber men annually, and some selective colleges have broken the 50-50 balances in favor of women; however, in high school, overshadowed by their male counterparts, girls often underperform and fail to attain leadership status.
First Lady Michelle Obama chimed in last week to suggest that girls often feel self-conscious about opposing boys in high school classrooms. She urged them to “Beat the boys,” or at least to compete with them.
Consistent with news reports, I have found that girls shut down in the co-ed classroom. Their responses to questions posed by teachers are often timid and stated as an inquiry, rather than firmly asserted as the boys so frequently do. We can debate whether this gap derives from teacher bias or from student performance, but we must take action to change the course for the next generation of working women. We must arm our girls with the confidence to jump in and to compete with the boys.
This is something I have long noted and incorporated in my academic coaching. I coach students on how to respond in the classroom and on when to volunteer, with special attention to my female students who are often more shy and less confident in class participation. Take the time to discuss your child’s self-image and the image she projects with her at dinner tonight. Encourage her to speak up and to do so with conviction.