Pressure of perfection and language bias impacts young girls’ creativity
The LEGO Group has unveiled findings from new global research looking into societal trends affecting children’s creative confidence. It finds that the pressure of perfection and everyday vocabulary pose a risk, particularly for girls, in holding them back from reaching their full creative potential. The company hopes to spotlight that by simply adjusting our language, we can help shape a brighter future for girls.
Surveying over 61,500 parents and children aged 5-12 years old across 36 countries, the data calls for societal change to ensure girls can fulfil their creative aspirations and play unstoppable, with researchers finding girls as young as five are having their creative confidence stifled.
Worried to share ideas
At this young age, three quarters (76%) feel confident in their creativity, but this declines as they get older and two-thirds of all girls often feel worried to share their ideas. This is compounded by the burden of perfectionism and anxiety about making mistakes (72%). Parents agree – 71 percent say girls are more likely to hold back developing their ideas, because of these pressures.
Importance of creative confidence
Harvard-trained parenting researcher and bestselling author, Jennifer B Wallace says, “When children fear failing, it can hamper their willingness to explore and think outside the box. This impacts the key skill of creative confidence - which can carry into adulthood. Creative confidence is the self-assurance to generate ideas, take risks and contribute unique solutions without fear of failure. It’s been found to be a cornerstone of well-being by boosting self-esteem, reducing stress, and increasing happiness, as well as a top-ranked skill for future workplaces according to the World Economic Forum. With over three quarters of girls aspiring to work in creative industries it underscores the urgent need for change.”
Perfection pressure and why language matters
More than 3 in 5 girls report feeling pressure by society’s messages of perfection. While this is a concern for all children, both parents and children acknowledge that girls face heightened pressures to be perfect and worry more about making mistakes .
The good news: by changing our language we can help change the future. The study shows that everyday language is playing a role inhibiting girls' from freely expressing themselves creatively. In fact, nearly two-thirds of girls aged 5-12 say language they hear makes them worry about making mistakes, feel like they shouldn’t experiment, or reinforces this need to be perfect.
"More than Perfect"
In a new short film, ‘More Than Perfect’, the LEGO Group explores the effect that language can have on girls' creative confidence, as we see them being taken through two different challenges and presented with some of the global research findings. We hear powerful reflections from the girls and capture parents’ reactions.
Follow the link in the source description to take a look at further findings.
Source: www.lego.com