As we navigate this latest national lockdown, there is little doubt of the challenges ahead for our girls, so it is reassuring to be reminded that we are in a strong position to create a more resilient generation of young women.

Research from the AIBE Centre for Gender Equality in the Workplace at the University of Queensland has studied how the gender mix in schools affects confidence. The team found that while a girl’s confidence usually begins slipping below boys’ at age nine, and does not meet it again until she’s 80, they preserve their confidence for longer if they are educated at a single-sex school, something the lead author attributes to having other girls and women as role models. “You see broadly your gender doing one thing, and you go, ‘OK, maybe that’s what I should be doing.”

What a single-sex education offers young women is hugely advantageous for life. There are no limitations, no stereotypes, so girls flourish. They can start to take chances in an environment where they don’t need to be judged, they don’t feel like they’re competing, and without the distraction of boyfriend-girlfriend dynamics.

This has been reinforced by a recently released study from the UK that found that girls who attend single-sex schools are generally more confident and in control of their emotions than girls attending state and independent co-educational schools. AQR’s ‘mental toughness’ research also indicates that the pandemic may have exacerbated gaps and differences that already exist between students, with girls who are mentally tougher having an advantage in dealing with the pandemic compared with girls who demonstrate less confidence and emotional control.

Mental toughness determines how a person deals with challenges, opportunities, stress and pressure. It is a mindset that an individual adopts in every situation regardless of the circumstances. Mental toughness is closely related to a growth mindset, character, resilience, grit, learned optimism and other similar characteristics. It is also strongly correlated with performance, wellbeing, positive behaviours, aspirations and employability.

Like a growth mindset, mental toughness can be learned and developed over time. So, while our girls may understandably be feeling some worry or trepidation during this period of renewed national lockdown, let us remind them of their tremendous capacity to adapt and remain positive, and that we are here to support them and to help them to develop the strength to handle the challenges and changes that life throws at us.

AQR International. (2021, June). Soft skills development and gender: An analysis of mental toughness at UK independent schools. Chester, UK: AQR International. Retrieved from: https://gsa.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/AQR-analysis-of-mental-toughness-in-girls-schools.pdf
Fitzsimmons, T.W., Yates, M. S., & Callan, V. (2018). Hands Up for Gender Equality: A Major Study into Confidence and Career Intentions of Adolescent Girls and Boys. Brisbane, Qld: AIBE Centre for Gender Equality in the Workplace – The University of Queensland.