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Teaching Young Women To Face The Future With Confidence
Everyone struggles with self-confidence at times. But across a woman’s lifetime, she is more likely to struggle compared to a man.
August 2, 2024
Teenage girls hear plenty of negative statements about themselves and their future. They hear that they will be worse off than their parents. They hear that climate change will destroy the planet. Most worryingly of all, they hear that their voices don’t have value.
In the face of this, it’s more important than ever to empower female students to believe in themselves. They need to know that their words and dreams matter.
And they need to know that they have the power to build a better future—no matter how challenging things may look.
Fortunately, there’s no better place than in school to start building confidence in girls.
Why We Need To Be Talking About The Confidence Gap
Everyone struggles with self-confidence at times. But across a woman’s lifetime, she is more likely to struggle compared to a man. A gender-based self-esteem gap sets in when kids enter secondary school, and it only closes in old age, when a woman turns 80.
Australian women are underrepresented in politics, in business leadership and boardrooms and in policing. There’s no denying the role that systemic barriers play in this. But to overcome these barriers, young women will require immense self-belief, resilience and the power to stand up for themselves.
Unfortunately, the cards are stacked against them. As girls grow into young women, they stop speaking up as much.
This isn’t just about a teenage girl’s potential for career success, either. It’s also about her health, happiness and wellbeing. Young Australian women are significantly more likely than men to experience poor mental health. In the past 12 months, over 40% of young women have struggled with an anxiety disorder. They are also twice as likely to self-harm and more likely to be suicidal.
Study after study shows us that teen girls and young women are anxious and lacking in self-confidence. But we don’t need a study to recognise this. We just need to talk to them.
When we create a safe space for young people, they are able to develop the confidence to boldly speak up about what is really going on under the surface. They open up about their challenges standing up for themselves in relationships, their concerns about the future, their bodies, and themselves.
In Schools, Girls’ Confidence Can Flourish - Or Not
One recent study found that Year 10 is a pivotal moment for female students’ self-esteem. Their self-reported confidence levels plummet. The authors of the study suggest that this is due to the pressure of making the perceived correct choices for their future.
“Perhaps girls in our sample at this point in time are recognising the importance of choosing the ‘right’ subjects for their senior schooling and identifying the impact this has on career trajectories. The inherent angst that comes from considering future possibilities may translate into feeling less security in their own knowing and doing relative to other year levels…”
But, school can also be an opportunity to build confidence in teenage girls. Young women can learn to trust in their choices, take on leadership roles and build a positive self-identity. They can develop optimism about their abilities and their futures.
The Keys To Building Confidence In Girls
In general, female students lose confidence as they grow older—but that’s not always the case. Young people who take on leadership roles, play sports, travel and do activities unsupervised have greater self-confidence, no matter their gender.
Why not try encouraging the teenage girls in your classroom to take the lead on presentations? Or to sign up for after-school sport?
Your students might hesitate at first. We know from studies that at 15, girls are more afraid than boys of failing. This doesn’t just prevent them from taking risks: studies tell us there’s a link between concern over mistakes, perfectionism, pathological worry and generalised anxiety disorder.
But when young women know they’re in a safe, supportive environment, they can be encouraged to take more risks. They don’t feel as nervous about potentially failing.
Some ways to show your female students that it’s okay to fail include praising attempts as well as results. When someone gets the wrong solution to a maths question, one option could be to praise their creative approach or courage in attempting an answer, before explaining the right method.
Have you considered sharing stories about times that you’ve struggled? Or the mistakes that you’ve made? For students, hearing that their teachers have experienced setbacks is incredibly powerful. It gives them living proof that they can also make mistakes and yet be successful.
What’s more, it tells students that it’s okay to be vulnerable at school. They don’t have to be perfect. They can safely fail, they can admit to struggling and, if they voice their fears and worries, they will still be supported.
How Women’s Empowerment Workshops Can Support Schools In Boosting Girls’ Confidence
Here at Tomorrow Woman, we run self-esteem and empowerment programs for female students in years 10 to 12.
Our year-long, six-module student well-being program promotes self-confidence, respectful relationships and a compassionate inner voice. It gives young women the tools to build deeper connections through better conversations, with a focus on preventative mental health strategies.
85% of participants reported feeling more confident to be their true, authentic self after a Tomorrow Woman workshop.
Find out more about our workshops.
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We respectfully acknowledge the first custodians of the land on which we live and work, the Wurrundjeri People of the Kulin Nation. We pay respects to Elders past, present and emerging and to all First Nations People. Sovereignty was never ceded and treaties were never signed.
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