ome"alphas"are creating innovative programs as part of a "girls career and family aspirations) and in 2005 surveyed poo girls and movement"to make such progress available to all young women. 228 boys in the sixth through twelfth grades in a range of urban Of course, once alpha girls enter the workforce and begin fami- suburban, and rural U.S. and Canadian schools. He then inter ers did; how they will cope with these challenges is uncertain, tween 1984 and 1988. These were alpha girls who had attained a but they are already changing wage and marriage patterns in un- 3. 8 or better grade-point average and at least one leadership posi expected ways tion,pursued 10 or more hours of extracurriculars weekly, and scored high on measures of"achievement motivation." Alpha Psych 101 Kindlon found signs of a new "alph "THE PSYCHOLOGICAL DEMONS that used to affect girls and girls. There were no sex differences in depressive symptoms, no women in this country just don't affect today's girls in the same drop in self-esteem across the six grades, and no lack of way, "Kindlon asserts In the 1g8os and early gos, Carol Gilligan confidence By tenth grade, in fact, the girls he surveyed had higher (formerly Graham professor of gender studies at Harvard Gradu- self-esteem than boys, and alphas had significantly higher self-es- ate School of Education and now a professor at New York Uni- teem than non-alphas. Lower socioeconomic status tended to ersity) and other feminist psychologists wrote that girls in their lower self-esteem scores for both sexes, irrespective of race or teens compromise their authenticity to fit gender roles, thereby ethnicity, but Kindlon interviewed many "inner-city alphas" "losing their voice. "In 1992, influential American Association of the phenomenon is not confined to"elites "(Consistent with p University Women(AAUW)research on late-198os data on girls vious research, he did find higher rates of anxiety born in the 1g7os found that girls' self-esteem plunged in middle than boys-perhaps because girls"want to get things done,"he school, compared to boys, and that classroom sexism(such as speculates, although he notes that biological factors could be in- teachers'calling on boys more than girls, or more competitive volved In either case, he cautions against overemphasizing the than cooperative learning)was a cause. The AAUW report rec- anxiety scores, because boys may underreport their own anxiety. ognized positive trends, such as young women's ascent in college Loss of voice"may be a thing of the past, as Kindlon suggest enrollment, while recommending correctives for the continu- but gender pressures persist, says Wendy Luttrell, Aronson associ- ing shortfalls ate professor in human development and education: "We cant talk a girls are created in large numbers when the society that about how girls are doing today without talking about boys and they are born into has sufficient equal opportunity, Kindlon says: girls in relation to each other. " As a feminist ethnographer who ana- "It wasn't until the early to mid '8os-when schools really lyzes gender, race, and class in educational settings, she believes started to get serious about Title IX, when women first began to kids today, in fact, are still "incredibly constrained by gender. She outnumber men in college, when women began moving into recently observed such forces in action at the close of her youngest leadership roles, such as Congress, in significant numbers-that daughter's summer college-prep program. The karaoke competi- societal conditions had changed enough to permit the alpha girl tion between sex-segregated groups was "a Saturday Night Live mir explosion. He set out to discover how Beauvoir's"inner meta- icry of what gender roles in contemporary society look like,"she re- morphosis" has changed girls' psychology in the years since the ports. The girls performed"sexy-but-cute Britney Spears acts, AAUW report while the boys presented aggressive, sexualized, hip-hop dance A a girls don t identify with a passive-feminine sex role, yet maintain"female"skills like ocial networking. They also know how to do things that only men and boys traditionally did, such as"channel their aggression in a competitive situation--not to get too mad, but to get mad enough so you can play harder-and to compete and to enjoy winning He knew that past and recent research in a variety of fields numbers. "Each group played off the extreme of the other, "she had already revealed gender differences in mental illness: girls notes, wishing the hypermasculine and hyperfeminine perfor and women have twice mens risk for depression and mances had been far less stereotypical, with"both boys and girls orders, while boys and men are twice as likely to suffer sub- crossing what we consider to be "male'and'female'roles. stance-use disorders and schizophrenia. Some theories attribute The alpha generation may yet fulfill that wish. "Girls are now his depression/anxiety gender gap, which appears in adoles- able to play more roles, "says Kindlon. Alpha girls don't identify cence, to differences in the biology of sex hormones; other expla- with a passive-feminine sex role, yet maintain"female"skills like nations focus on "gender socialization. "Investigators have lo- social networking. They also know how to do things that only cated numerous gender-related risk factors for depression, men and boys traditionally did, such as"channel their aggression including passive-feminine sex-role identification, helpless cop- in a competitive situation--not to get too mad, but to get mad ing styles, and low self-esteem. Body dissatisfaction is also key: enough so you can play harder-and to compete and to enjoy in adolescence, boys gain muscle while girls gain fat--just as winning."Fathers play a big part in this psychology, Kindlon body-image pressures intensify adds. He has found that alphas' dads are more involved in their To assess the psychological and social health of a new genera- daughters' lives than non-alphas'dads. They can pass along tion of girls, Kindlon designed the Adolescent Life Survey to "male ways of being, "such as rougher play and greater risk-tak measure 1g dimensions of teen experience(from mental health to and"male ways of thinki 36 JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2008 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-574636 January - February 2008 some “alphas” are creating innovative programs as part of a “girls’ movement” to make such progress available to all young women. Of course, once alpha girls enter the workforce and begin fami￾lies, they will no doubt encounter the same tradeo≠s their moth￾ers did; how they will cope with these challenges is uncertain, but they are already changing wage and marriage patterns in un￾expected ways. Alpha Psych 101 “The psychological demons that used to a≠ect girls and women in this country just don’t a≠ect today’s girls in the same way,” Kindlon asserts. In the 1980s and early ’90s, Carol Gilligan (formerly Graham professor of gender studies at Harvard Gradu￾ate School of Education and now a professor at New York Uni￾versity) and other feminist psychologists wrote that girls in their teens compromise their authenticity to fit gender roles, thereby “losing their voice.” In 1992, influential American Association of University Women (AAUW) research on late-1980s data on girls born in the 1970s found that girls’ self-esteem plunged in middle school, compared to boys’, and that classroom sexism (such as teachers’ calling on boys more than girls, or more competitive than cooperative learning) was a cause. The AAUW report rec￾ognized positive trends, such as young women’s ascent in college enrollment, while recommending correctives for the continu￾ing shortfalls. Alpha girls are created in large numbers when the society that they are born into has su∞cient equal opportunity, Kindlon says: “It wasn’t until the early to mid ’80s—when schools really started to get serious about Title IX, when women first began to outnumber men in college, when women began moving into leadership roles, such as Congress, in significant numbers—that societal conditions had changed enough to permit the alpha girl explosion.” He set out to discover how Beauvoir’s “inner meta￾morphosis” has changed girls’ psychology in the years since the AAUW report. He knew that past and recent research in a variety of fields had already revealed gender di≠erences in mental illness: girls and women have twice men’s risk for depression and anxiety dis￾orders, while boys and men are twice as likely to su≠er sub￾stance-use disorders and schizophrenia. Some theories attribute this depression/anxiety gender gap, which appears in adoles￾cence, to di≠erences in the biology of sex hormones; other expla￾nations focus on “gender socialization.” Investigators have lo￾cated numerous gender-related risk factors for depression, including passive-feminine sex-role identification, helpless cop￾ing styles, and low self-esteem. Body dissatisfaction is also key: in adolescence, boys gain muscle while girls gain fat—just as body-image pressures intensify. To assess the psychological and social health of a new genera￾tion of girls, Kindlon designed the Adolescent Life Survey to measure 19 dimensions of teen experience (from mental health to career and family aspirations) and in 2005 surveyed 700 girls and 228 boys in the sixth through twelfth grades in a range of urban, suburban, and rural U.S. and Canadian schools. He then inter￾viewed the top 113 high-school girls, born for the most part be￾tween 1984 and 1988. These were alpha girls who had attained a 3.8 or better grade-point average and at least one leadership posi￾tion, pursued 10 or more hours of extracurriculars weekly, and scored high on measures of “achievement motivation.” Kindlon found signs of a new “alpha psychology” among all the girls. There were no sex di≠erences in depressive symptoms, no drop in self-esteem across the six grades, and no lack of confidence. By tenth grade, in fact, the girls he surveyed had higher self-esteem than boys, and alphas had significantly higher self-es￾teem than non-alphas. Lower socioeconomic status tended to lower self-esteem scores for both sexes, irrespective of race or ethnicity, but Kindlon interviewed many “inner-city alphas”— the phenomenon is not confined to “elites.” (Consistent with pre￾vious research, he did find higher rates of anxiety among girls than boys—perhaps because girls “want to get things done,” he speculates, although he notes that biological factors could be in￾volved. In either case, he cautions against overemphasizing the anxiety scores, because boys may underreport their own anxiety.) “Loss of voice” may be a thing of the past, as Kindlon suggests, but gender pressures persist, says Wendy Luttrell, Aronson associ￾ate professor in human development and education: “We can’t talk about how girls are doing today without talking about boys and girls in relation to each other.” As a feminist ethnographer who ana￾lyzes gender, race, and class in educational settings, she believes kids today, in fact, are still “incredibly constrained” by gender. She recently observed such forces in action at the close of her youngest daughter’s summer college-prep program. The karaoke competi￾tion between sex-segregated groups was “a Saturday Night Live mim￾icry of what gender roles in contemporary society look like,” she re￾ports. The girls performed “sexy-but-cute Britney Spears acts,” while the boys presented aggressive, sexualized, hip-hop dance numbers. “Each group played o≠ the extreme of the other,” she notes, wishing the hypermasculine and hyperfeminine perfor￾mances had been far less stereotypical, with “both boys and girls crossing what we consider to be ‘male’ and ‘female’ roles.” The alpha generation may yet fulfill that wish. “Girls are now able to play more roles,” says Kindlon. Alpha girls don’t identify with a passive-feminine sex role, yet maintain “female” skills like social networking. They also know how to do things that only men and boys traditionally did, such as “channel their aggression in a competitive situation—not to get too mad, but to get mad enough so you can play harder—and to compete and to enjoy winning.” Fathers play a big part in this psychology, Kindlon adds. He has found that alphas’ dads are more involved in their daughters’ lives than non-alphas’ dads. They can pass along “male ways of being,” such as rougher play and greater risk-tak￾ing, and “male ways of thinking.” lpha girls don’t identify with a passive-feminine sex role, yet maintain “female” skills like social networking. They also know how to do things that only men and boys traditionally did, such as “channel their aggression in a competitive situation—not to get too mad, Abut to get mad enough so you can play harder—and to compete and to enjoy winning