Show 45: The Adolescent Girl

TODAY'S YOUNG WOMAN can be anything she wants to be: top of her class, best at her sport as well as sweet, thoughtful and cute - but none of this comes easy, especially when all of these achievements are simultaneously the goal. In this, the second in our series on adolescence, we ask: how is the modern girl doing all around, and what can those who care about her do to support, encourage and help her to come up in the world?

IN-STUDIO GUEST: Dr. Stephen Hinshaw, chair of the psychology department at the University of California, Berkeley, child ADHD authority, and author of The Triple Bind: Saving Our Teenage Girls from Today's Pressures talks to us about helping our daughters succeed all throughout life. Dr. Hinshaw writes of the "triple bind" of pressures facing today's girl: (1) to be nurturing and supportive (the traditional role for girls); (2) to be competitive and “on top” (with the new opportunities girls have); and (3) to make it all seem effortless and natural, in a ultra-sexualized and ultra-feminized way, with no real alternatives to develop a unique identity. While these expectations of girls, young women and women are really nothing new, we wondered if today's girl was experiencing these pressures any differently than in previous generations.

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Girls Inc. study on the "Supergirl Dilemma" published in 2006: 74% of those surveyed agree that girls are under a lot of pressure to please everyone, and 84% of these girls say that they dislike that this is true. 84% of girls and 87% of boys believe girls are "supposed to be kind and caring". Eight in ten women (84%) believe that girls are under a lot of pressure to please everyone; 91% of these women dislike that this is true.
- Read more at GirlsInc.org.

FEATURED STORIES:

Single-Sex Schooling? - Those who argue in favor of single sex schooling believe there are fundamental biological and neurological differences that affect how boys and girls behave and how they learn in school. But not everyone agrees with the premise that girls and boys learn differently, or need different ways of teaching - some going so far as to call that kind of popular science “rubbish”. Contributor Jessica Cochran looked at the controversy surrounding single sex public schools, and we visit Gilson Junior High School in Valdez, the only single-sex classroom in the state.

When I Was Young: My First Period - Culture may lack a sanctioned rite of passage for boys as we explored last week, but for girls it's different because their bodies tell them when they transition from Girlhood to Womanhood when they begin to menstruate. Producer Sarah Gonzales asked women to recall the moment they first got their periods and what they remember about the momentous event.

Camp Erin: October 7-9 - Camp Erin is a weekend camp offered at no charge for children and teens ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of someone close to them. It combines traditional fun camp activities with grief education and emotional support. The last day to register is Friday, September 16 for camp October 7-9. For more information write jane - at - hospiceofanchorage - dot - org or call 907-561-5322.