Sorry, girls—if you wanted to be smart, you needed to be a boy. At least, that’s what recent research on gender stereotyping showed. In an article published at The Guardian, a new “study highlights how children as young as six can be influenced by stereotypes such as the idea that brilliance or giftedness is more common in men.” Those subtle assumptions have detrimental ramifications for females of all ages. Because being smart is something reserved for boys, girls begin to downplay their intelligence and question their God-given ability to engage fully, first in education and then in the workforce.
In this episode of Persuasion, Erin Straza and Hannah Anderson discuss the ways that pop culture and society at large portray and relate to smart females. Covering various books and films that give young girls proper role models, Erin and Hannah highlight the need for girls to be encouraged to know their gifts and nurture them without shame. Pertinent to the conversation is recognizing different types of intelligence—not only mental, emotional, and spiritual, but also creative, analytical, operational, and so on. We have truly been fearfully and wonderfully made by a Creator who wires each of us to display His brilliance in ways that no one else is able. Be sure to pop out to Twitter @PersuasionCAPC to answer the question of day: What sort of intelligence do you most admire?
Listen to Persuasion Episode 95:
Girls believe brilliance is a male trait, research into gender stereotypes shows, The Guardian
How Brainy Women Benefit the Church, Christianity Today
Good Vibes to Be Had in the Science World, Christ and Pop Culture
Theme music by Maiden Name.