that time and since"were starting to make the psychological Strong Women, Strong Girls hift predicted by Beauvoir, so they rose to the challenge, "he "A LOT OF THE HOPES of the feminist movement and the girls' ys. "Girls are doing the work and boys aren't--boys are playing programming movement are being realized, but there's a tremen- Grand Theft Auto "Kindlon once asked his youngest daughter, dous amount of work still to be done, particularly for girls with "Is it just that girls are smarter than boys?" And at age 11 she said, out educational or economic advantages, "says Lindsay Hyde 04, No, theyre not smarter, but they have more stamina, which I founder and executive director of Strong Women, Strong Girls think really does characterize it (SWSG), a nonprofit organization that fosters high aspirations Yet college-bound girls, despite their hard work, face stiffer and success skills among low-income minority girls by involving admissions competition than boys. A U.S. News analysis of a them with strong female role models. Hydes inspiration was her decade of data from 1, 400 colleges discovered that schools main- own mother, a Miami single mom who cut the tiled the tained gender balance by admitting girls at"drastically different bathroom floor, redid the electrical system, and"demonstrated rates"-on average 13 percentage points lower-than boys. for me that women could really do anything "When a number of state universities started becoming incredi- Keen to share her own experience with young girls, Hyde de bly female [7o percent or more], "explains Katz, "private univer- signed and taught a curriculum based on historic and contempo- sities started doing things that look like affirmative action for rary women at the local elementary school during her last semes- ys. Admissions officers basically said, "We were getting wor- ter of high school. When she couldn't find a girl-centered service ried about the gender mix, so we shaded things They're bring- opportunity at Harvard that fall, she used her curriculum to ing in on-the-margin guys who are less qualified than women in start a new afterschool program through Phillips Brooks House, order to maintain some gender balance. eginning with six undergraduate women and 3o girls from the Fertility control, meanwhile, has helped women achieve their third, fourth, and fifth grades at Roxbury and Mission Hill ele ambitions well beyond college. As Goldin and Katz argue in an- mentary schools. Seven years later, SWSG serves 400 mostly other journal article, "The Power of the Pill: Oral Contraceptives African-American and Latina girls at 32 schools and community and Women,s Career and Marriage Decisions, "the birth-control centers in Boston and Pittsburgh, with 120 mentors from seven oill, approved in 196o but made available to college-age colleges and universities. (For her work, Hyde recently received single women only in the late 1g6os and early 7os, he Samuel S Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an In- allowed young women to delay both marriage and dividual 35 or Under, one of the five Jefferson Awards con childbearing while they pursued graduate and ferred annually by the American Institute for Public Service professional school. Women now earn the major- To offset the effects of poverty, gender stereotyping, and ity of M.D., D.D. S, and J D. professional degrees, low expectations that can undermine girls'academic and the majority of all postgraduate degrees confidence and direct them to narrow education and career For the first time in history, females have complete options, SwSG combines the study of diverse female role fertility control, which means they aren't getting preg models with team-mentoring, field trips, and community nant, dropping out, having babies, "notes neuropsychiatrist service. Two or three undergraduate mentors lead 1o to 12 Louann Brizendine. a former Harvard Medical School resi- girls in weekly lessons built around a particular skill, such dent and faculty member who is the author of The Female Brain as critical thinking. Sessions begin by and founder and director of the women's Mood and Hor ading the biography of a woman ex- none Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco amplifying that skill, such as Sally She believes that the "alpha" phenomenon also involves"a Ride. the first American female as- aradigm shift in the way parents think about their girls' op tronaut, in order to"paint a pic tions in the world, "in part because unwanted pregnancy is ture of the steps she needed to out of the picture. "Theres a whole generation of girls take to go from being 1o years old whose creativity and intellect are being supported by their fami lies. Their mothers and fathers are cheering them on, coaching them, and setting the bar high, so that their ambition can soar and take them high. " With a level playing field, then, in family resources, higher ed ucation, economic op- portunity, and fertil- ity control, a critical mass of young women have achieved-and are achieving-the his toric potential of their sex 38 JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2008 Reprinted from Harvard Magazine. For more information, contact Harvard Magazine, Inc. at 617-495-5746that time and since “were starting to make the psychological shift predicted by Beauvoir, so they rose to the challenge,” he says. “Girls are doing the work and boys aren’t—boys are playing Grand Theft Auto.” Kindlon once asked his youngest daughter, “‘Is it just that girls are smarter than boys?’ And at age 11 she said, ‘No, they’re not smarter, but they have more stamina,’ which I think really does characterize it.” Yet college-bound girls, despite their hard work, face sti≠er admissions competition than boys. A U.S. News analysis of a decade of data from 1, 400 colleges discovered that schools main￾tained gender balance by admitting girls at “drastically di≠erent rates”—on average 13 percentage points lower—than boys. “When a number of state universities started becoming incredi￾bly female [70 percent or more],” explains Katz, “private univer￾sities started doing things that look like a∞rmative action for boys. Admissions o∞cers basically said, ‘We were getting wor￾ried about the gender mix, so we shaded things.’ They’re bring￾ing in on-the-margin guys who are less qualified than women in order to maintain some gender balance.” Fertility control, meanwhile, has helped women achieve their ambitions well beyond college. As Goldin and Katz argue in an￾other journal article, “The Power of the Pill: Oral Contraceptives and Women’s Career and Marriage Decisions,” the birth-control pill, approved in 1960 but made available to college-age single women only in the late 1960s and early ’70s, allowed young women to delay both marriage and childbearing while they pursued graduate and professional school. Women now earn the major￾ity of M.D., D.D.S., and J.D. professional degrees, and the majority of all postgraduate degrees. “For the first time in history, females have complete fertility control, which means they aren’t getting preg￾nant, dropping out, having babies,” notes neuropsychiatrist Louann Brizendine, a former Harvard Medical School resi￾dent and faculty member who is the author of The Female Brain and founder and director of the Women’s Mood and Hor￾mone Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco. She believes that the “alpha” phenomenon also involves “a paradigm shift in the way parents think about their girls’ op￾tions in the world,” in part because unwanted pregnancy is out of the picture. “There’s a whole generation of girls whose creativity and intellect are being supported by their fami￾lies. Their mothers and fathers are cheering them on, coaching them, and setting the bar high, so that their ambition can soar and take them high.” With a level playing field, then, in family resources, higher ed￾ucation, economic op￾portunity, and fertil￾ity control, a critical mass of girls and young women have achieved—and are achieving—the his￾toric potential of their sex. Strong Women, Strong Girls? “A lot of the hopes of the feminist movement and the girls’ programming movement are being realized, but there’s a tremen￾dous amount of work still to be done, particularly for girls with￾out educational or economic advantages,” says Lindsay Hyde ’04, founder and executive director of Strong Women, Strong Girls (SWSG), a nonprofit organization that fosters high aspirations and success skills among low-income minority girls by involving them with strong female role models. Hyde’s inspiration was her own mother, a Miami single mom who cut the grass, tiled the bathroom floor, redid the electrical system, and “demonstrated for me that women could really do anything!” Keen to share her own experience with young girls, Hyde de￾signed and taught a curriculum based on historic and contempo￾rary women at the local elementary school during her last semes￾ter of high school. When she couldn’t find a girl-centered service opportunity at Harvard that fall, she used her curriculum to start a new afterschool program through Phillips Brooks House, beginning with six undergraduate women and 30 girls from the third, fourth, and fifth grades at Roxbury and Mission Hill ele￾mentary schools. Seven years later, SWSG serves 400 mostly African-American and Latina girls at 32 schools and community centers in Boston and Pittsburgh, with 120 mentors from seven colleges and universities. (For her work, Hyde recently received the Samuel S. Beard Award for Greatest Public Service by an In￾dividual 35 or Under, one of the five Je≠erson Awards con￾ferred annually by the American Institute for Public Service.) To o≠set the e≠ects of poverty, gender stereotyping, and low expectations that can undermine girls’ academic confidence and direct them to narrow education and career options, SWSG combines the study of diverse female role models with team-mentoring, field trips, and community service. Two or three undergraduate mentors lead 10 to 12 girls in weekly lessons built around a particular skill, such as critical thinking. Sessions begin by reading the biography of a woman ex￾emplifying that skill, such as Sally Ride, the first American female as￾tronaut, in order to “paint a pic￾ture of the steps she needed to take to go from being 10 years old 38 January - February 2008