Teen Girls on Business - Simmons College

<strong>Teen</strong> <strong>Girls</strong> on Business: Are They Being Empowered?Leadership Skills: Level of Perceived Ability% Much or a Little Better<strong>Girls</strong> BoysSolving problemsManaging moneyWorking in teamsWorking with numbersWriting reportsSpeaking/performingBeing creativeBeing a good listenerOrganizing projects/activitiesMaking decisionsFinishing projects on timeGetting others to agreeBeing a leader57*51*6145*49*3963*69*51*55*55*525462626259444058584061485455Note: * denotes significant difference between boys and girls“Making money has always been like anecessity to me, so I can go to school.When I leave school I need to make money.”-African American High School Girl<strong>Girls</strong> and boys are confident in different areasDespite the similarities between girls and boys in our studyon the number of leadership positions held, there are interestingdifferences in teens’ perceived abilities.When we asked girls and boys to rate their abilities in certainskill areas compared to their peers, 14 differences fellalong stereotypical gender lines. Specifically, the ratings ofgirls were significantly higher than those of boys on organizingprojects and activities, finishing projects on time, beingcreative, being a good listener, and writing reports. On theother hand, girls’ ratings were significantly lower than boyson working with numbers, managing money, making decisions,and solving problems. It is interesting to note that thethree skills girls rate themselves most highly on are being agood listener, being creative, and working on teams.Numerical/financial literacy is often cited as a barrier forgirls, and much attention has been paid in recent years toaddressing this issue within our nation’s schools. It is interestingto note that almost 40% of girls say that math is theirleast favorite subject, versus 31% for boys. Similarly, 21%of girls say that science is their least favorite subject, versusonly 17% of boys. English ranks top for girls, with over25% rating it as their favorite subject, versus only 12% ofboys. Although Title IX and other initiatives have donemuch to increase gender equality in education, it is dishearteningto see the continued disparity between girls and boysin how confident they are in their numerical skills. It is clearthat more needs to be done to address the issue.Diversity: Key Areas of Difference byRacial/Ethnic Identity<strong>Girls</strong> are not a monolithic group. Those of different backgroundshave differing career expectations and goals. Inexploring these issues, we looked at the perspectives of girlsfrom the four largest racial/ethnic groups.Caution must be taken in interpreting the findings onAfrican American and Asian American girls, because thesesamples were relatively small (169 and 143 respectively).Findings for White/Caucasian and Hispanic girls are basedon larger sample sizes (1,680 and 530) and are more robust.1214See Appendix 3.