Rigid gender stereotypes tied to increased depression, violence and suicide in children
Over the past 4 years, the George Family Foundation has taken steps to learn more about the reality of gender norms and to share what we have learned with our grantee partners and funder colleagues. As so many of you know, our biological sex is just that -- biology, but our gender is a social construct. Working with Riki Wilchen’s, the founder and executive director of True Child, we have learned that girls and boys who grow up in homes and communities where there is strict adherence to male/female gender norms do less well in school, have more mental health issues, are more likely to engage in risky behaviors, and for girls, are more likely to become pregnant before they graduate from high school. We encourage you to learn more about gender norms by reading this article and by spending some time on the True Child website.