We all want our daughters to reach their full potential, but cultivating confidence, strength and resilience in girls can be challenging. It can seem like there are so many obstacles holding them back: Girls around the globe face gender-based discrimination, limited educational opportunities and other systemic barriers that squash their self-esteem and derail their goals. Yes, even in Canada.
We asked Caroline Riseboro, president and CEO of Plan International Canada, a global girls? rights organization, for some advice on how we can raise strong daughters and also support young women worldwide.
Do our daughters really feel a lot of pressure from society just for being a girl"
CAROLINE: We conducted a national survey and found that 70 percent of young women say they?ve regularly or occasionally felt pressure to change their behaviour because of their gender. That?s a huge number. Where is this pressure coming from, exactly"
CR: A lot of it comes from social media. I?ve heard many times from young women that their self-esteem is directly related to how many likes or comments they get on Instagram or other social media channels.
In an effort to break stereotypes, should we introduce our daughters to sports or interests like hockey and STEM clubs"
CR: It?s so important for girls to partake in stereotype-breaking programs. Our research also showed that when girls enter woman-hood, they tend to hold back from speaking up in conversations and their self-confidence ...