Life for girls is a battle of contrasting expectations, being told you should be 'empowered' but also be a 'good girl', putting others first but still striving for perfection yourself. This conflict, internalizing expectations of an impossible standard, has lead to an explosion in mental-health and anxiety-related disorders in young women. The traditional narrative of education feeds the perception that girls are good. They achieve, work hard, are co-operative. They achieve better grades. But where do these high achievers disappear to? They aren't becoming CEOs, politicians or social leaders. Women are still disproportionately the family carers and domestic managers. This book explores: * research around biological difference, and how our schools encode gendered expectations. * how our curricula can provide role-models as well as modes of thinking, valuing traditionally feminine traits as equal to masculine * using psychological approaches to develop girls' independence. * how school systems and leadership can model approaches to encourage all students to create a gender-balanced environment. With practical questions and suggestions at the end of each chapter, this book is a guide to the research and a tool to help teachers and leaders shape a genuinely empowering school experience for young women.
