Ban Bossy
When a little boy asserts himself, we applaud him. Yet when a little girl does the same, she is often branded “bossy,” a stigma that stays with her for life. Research shows this is one of many ways we inadvertently discourage leadership in girls. Take a look at some of these staggering facts (From Leadership Tips for Leaders ) In a Girl Scouts study of 8 to 17-year-olds, a third of young women who did not want to be leaders attributed their lack of motivation to a fear of being called “bossy” or disliked by their peers. Girls were twice as likely as boys to cite “bossy” as a barrier. Sixth grade girls are 33 percent less likely than boys to want to take the lead in group projects. Starting in middle school, more boys than girls aspire to leadership roles in future careers. Girls in the sixth and seventh grades rate being popular and well-liked as more important than being perceived as competent or independent. As Girl Scouts, our goal is to help girls de...