UWLP Blog - Girls & Teens

Did you miss this Spring Women's Leadership Forum? Don't worry! You can read about it and watch the full recording here.

Did you miss this Spring Workshop? Don't worry! You can read about it and watch the full recording here.

Did you miss this Spring Women's Leadership Forum? Don't worry! You can read about it and watch the full recording here.

This snapshot summarizes research regarding physical activity levels, access, and barriers for girls and young women to help decision makers understand that instilling physically active habits early can improve the health and wellbeing of Utah women for the rest of their lives.

Did you miss this Women's Leadership Forum event? You can learn about this event and watch the full recording here!

This 4-part series introduces educators, parents, and other influencers to research studies focused on the biological and socialized distinctions between genders with application to designing customized and effective learning experiences.

On November 17th, the Utah Women & Leadership Project hosted a workshop entitled “Emotional Wellbeing for Young Women: Understanding Your Brain, Body, and Behavior.” Read the recap here.

This new curriculum encourages young women to pursue post-secondary education. This curriculum packet was designed to assist the Utah Women & Leadership Project's mission of strengthening the impact of Utah girls and women. It is available to use, free of charge, with groups of young women in various settings (e.g., churches, schools, community, nonprofit, families). It is not to be used by those intending to make a profit.

This curriculum packet was designed to assist the Utah Women & Leadership Project's mission of strengthening the impact of Utah girls and women. It is available to use, free of charge, with groups of young women in various settings (e.g., churches, schools, community, nonprofit, families). It is not to be used by those intending to make a profit.

Throughout much of history, women have been seen as an extension of their male relatives when it comes to finances; American women were not allowed to own property in their names until the mid-1800s, overt pay discrimination was legal until 1963, and women could not access credit on their own until 1974.

Good mental health is a critical component of overall wellbeing, hence the influence of therapists is expanding in Utah. As they increasingly recognize and address gender-specific challenges, mental health providers can positively influence girls and women, as well as families, communities, and the state as a whole.

Sports participation is a widely recognized pathway to leadership, and coaches are in an ideal position to positively influence their athletes. This discussion focused on how coaches can first lead by example and then work to support girls’ personal development and resilience.

This idea sheet is based on a 2019 gathering of 30 Young Women leaders from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hereafter, “the Church”) in Utah. Since around 60% of Utahns identify as members of the Church, these leaders have the potential to influence a large segment of Utah teens.

Utah fathers recognize the strong influence local culture can have on the way their daughters develop their sense of self. The state’s distinct environment, with its own set of social norms, can affect girls and young women in both positive and negative ways. Fathers can work to support their daughters’ efforts to navigate cultural influences.

This idea sheet is based on a 2019 gathering of 25 elementary school principals and other administrators who met to discuss ways they can support girls in Utah, both in educational success and in many other areas of life.

This idea sheet is based on a 2018 gathering of 25 mothers who are raising school-aged daughters in Utah. With the knowledge that mothers are one of the most powerful influences in a girl’s life, this discussion focused on various topics, including culture, confidence and self-discovery, education, personal and social development, and resilience.

School counselors recognize they can influence the culture within their schools and even beyond. But first, they must be aware of the cultural pressures and messages reaching female students. For example, they can recognize how confidence and low self-esteem may affect educational success or aspirations and explore the impact of social media.

This post will highlight Sui Lang Panoke and her presentation on social media and finding your voice. Sui is the founder of Women Politics Media, and RE-Think Tank. Through these organizations, Sui works to train leaders, primarily women, emerging leaders and people of color in communication.

A majority of the participants who had never attended college had once aspired to go. Some still see it as part of their future although existing data show that only a small percentage will actually follow through later in life. Participants who never aspired to get a college degree were a minority in this population.

Utah Women and Education Project researchers conducted in-depth research in 2010 to discover why more young women around the state are not attending and graduating from college. We discovered that fathers in Utah have a significant influence on their daughters’ college choices and regarding graduating from college.

A majority of the participants’ mothers wanted their daughters to attend college. Some mothers wanted their daughters to become independent career women while others believed that a college degree should be used as a backup plan in case their husbands were unable to care for them.

Not surprisingly, almost 90% of the young women participating in our survey believed that they received at least some level of support from their teachers in their high school scholastic efforts. A small minority (6%) felt they did not receive any support at all. The participants also provided in-depth responses regarding the influence of teachers.

In 2010, Utah Women and Education Project researchers conducted in-depth research to discover why more young women around the state are not attending and graduating from college. In this blog, we look at the influence school counselors and administrators have on young women attending college.

One of the things we discovered during our research is that school counselors and administrators can have a powerful influence on a young woman’s college decision. However, in our sample we found that only 32% of counselors and only one lone principal seized the opportunity to do so with these young women.

During my MATC schooling my senior year we had to prepare a career packet which consisted of a resume and a referral letter from an adult. He was obliged to provide the letter for me and after reading it, I realized how much confidence he had in my abilities to learn, and be a wonderful contributor to society.

Female students’ (in K-12) achievement in mathematics and science is on par with their male peers and female students participate in high level mathematics and science courses at similar rates as their male peers, with the exception of computer science and engineering” (NSF, Science & Engineering Indicators, 2016).

Six primary themes emerged from the qualitative data gathered from the combined survey and dialogue table notes. There is interesting overlap between these data and those listed above. First, the most frequently mentioned solution is to help more women in Utah to attend and complete college.

There are many barriers preventing girls and young women from obtaining a post-secondary degree. Financial concerns are number one, and yet all of the data points to the fact that in our state, scholarships and financial aid are drastically underutilized. The other major barrier is more subtle, and may be more specific to Utah girls.

For many people, the beginning of a new school year is a good time to make resolutions, start fresh, and improve habits. As a 7th grade teacher, I see girls and boys come into my classroom with varying degrees of trepidation, and some come with enthusiasm. They don’t have to sign their names.

One day I stumbled upon an online community of women and discovered my situation was far from unique. With their examples and support, I began to look outside the home for things that would help give me a sense of purpose. As I began to do so, I felt recharged. I found that I truly enjoyed the process of solving a problem.

Our counselors would interrupt our AP class periods to beg us to take the AP tests, dusting the $90 price tag under the words “class exempt” and “step ahead in college.” But when we were asked to indicate how many of us were actually planning on going to college, about half of us raised our hands. Half. In an AP class. Why?

As important as confidence is evidence shows that girls and women struggle with confidence more than men do. They experience more anxiety and self-doubt. Women judge themselves harder and assume the blame when things go wrong. Women don’t let go of failures as quickly as men.

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. There are occasional outliers, but in general, kids learn of their own potential and learn habits by watching their parents. My mom and dad love to learn. They read. They study. They write. They listen and discuss interesting topics in conversation.

Think of an important young girl in your life. Maybe she’s your teenage granddaughter, your niece in first grade, or your toddler. No matter her age, chances are she’s already forming her view of college. How do you show her that earning a college degree is an exciting challenge that will add great benefits to her life?

Here we are in January and we find ourselves thinking about opportunities to improve ourselves and our lives… at least you can’t look anywhere without being reminded it’s time to make new goals, start a new exercise routine, or organize some aspect of your life.