Saman Ahsan
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As Canadian girls grow up, they鈥檙e told time and again that they can be whoever they want to be. The reality is far less ideal.
A national report released this month on the main issues facing girls in sa国际传媒 shows that despite having more educational opportunities than ever, many girls still confront violence and low self-esteem 鈥� sometimes with grave consequences.
According to the report, commissioned by Status of Women sa国际传媒 and undertaken by the non-profit Girls Action Foundation, startling proportions of Canadian girls grapple with self-harm, dating violence, harassment and negative body image.
The study highlights that girls鈥� confidence drops more dramatically than that of boys in their teen years. Girls are using more drugs and alcohol than they did in past decades, and girls aged 10 to 14 are five times more likely than boys to end up in the hospital for trying to commit suicide. A fifth of teen girls in British Columbia have intentionally inflicted self-injury.
The well-being of girls should be a national concern.
Self-esteem is a major issue, according to recent research. Among girls in grades 6 to 10 who think they are too fat, only half are actually overweight. What鈥檚 more, a tenth of Ontario teen girls think they are 鈥渘o good at all.鈥�
Self-esteem is influenced by hidden messages about how girls should look and act, and these messages are delivered by parents, peers and media.
Girls who don鈥檛 fit in or who are marginalized in some way, such as indigenous, racialized or lesbian and bisexual girls, are at even greater risk of emotional distress, suicide attempts and victimization.
Today鈥檚 girls are facing more pressure from more sources to be good, smart, helpful, sexy and liberated all at the same time. On top of that, racialized girls and indigenous girls have to cope with stereotypes about their race. Sound confusing? It is.
Girls with low self-esteem can feel pressured to have sex earlier. More than a quarter of Ontario high-school girls in a recent study admitted someone had pressured them into a sexual act they didn鈥檛 want to do.
Girls also cope with more subtle forms of violence that go unnoticed. Sexual comments in the hallways and bullying may be more than playful banter. 鈥淏oys will be boys,鈥� we might say to explain it away. But consider that one-quarter of Canadian girls say they don鈥檛 feel safe at school.
Once they find school unbearable, girls who fall between the cracks often fall hard in life. Girls who drop out before high school grow up to make about half the average income of male dropouts.
Beyond these shocking facts is inspiring evidence of resilience, like the fact that immigrant girls are more likely to stay in school than their Canadian-born counterparts, even as they encounter bullying and discrimination.
Investing in girls pays off. Think of the economic contributions that more empowered girls will make, and the innovative solutions they will create as tomorrow鈥檚 leaders. Plus, the costs to society of poor mental health and violence are weighty. For example, childhood sexual abuse, which inordinately affects girls, costs sa国际传媒 an estimated $3.7 billion annually.
What鈥檚 the solution? We have to change the world in which girls are growing up, as well as empower them to be agents of change themselves.
We can鈥檛 gloss over the real challenges in girls鈥� lives by believing higher self-esteem will solve everything. Policies and programs to improve kids鈥� mental health and reduce violence must take girls into account.
We need more safe spaces for girls in our communities where they can discover their strengths. Girls tend to internalize their difficulties, but in well-designed girls鈥� groups, they learn that they are not alone and gain inspiration to create change. Research shows that girls-only programs that focus on assets and skills are far more effective than just reminding girls of the risks before them.
Critical thinking is perhaps the best tool a girl can gain, so that she can uncover hidden messages about what a girl or woman is supposed to be. If provided with positive role models and given the chance to raise their voices in their communities, girls can grow into their full potential.
Girls can be whatever they want to be. Empowered girls will help make sa国际传媒鈥檚 communities, economy and environment even more healthy, fair and secure.
But first, we must lower the hurdles that stand in their way and give them the room to run.
听
Saman Ahsan is executive director of Girls Action Foundation, a national non-profit that has been advancing girls鈥� empowerment since 1995.
