Gifted Females

By: Jessica Coleman Lora Gay Suzanne Smith

Characteristics of Gifted Females

Intellectual Ability and Creativity and Leadership Specific Aptitude Avid readers Highly developed language and verbal skills Rapid learners
Strong leadership skills (tends to fade in adolescence) Extraordinary creativity

Easily bored by repetition

Long attention span

More Characteristics of Gifted Females

Psychomotor Skills Crawl, walk, run early Overly energetic Rhythmic and athletic Social and Emotional Heightened emotional sensitivity Strong sense of empathy Concerned with ethics, morality, and fairness

Overexcitability
Influence of Gender Some are independent and rebellious toward stereotyping Other girls hide giftedness for social acceptance

The Facts Are

In early childhood through the elementary school years, gifted boys and girls are equal in number. In adolescence, gifted boys outnumber gifted girls. In adulthood there are far more gifted men than gifted women.

Interesting Statistics
Girls talk, read, and count earlier than boys.

Girls have an academic edge over boys at every age between 2-14.
Between third and eighth grade gifted girls self image declines dramatically. 8th Grade gifted girls reported more negative self confidence and image of popularity than non-gifted girls of the same age.

Gifted girls are less likely to take demanding high school math and science classes than boys (40% vs. 72%)

Gifted Elementary Girls

Highly gifted girls aspire to careers having moderate rather than high status. More highly gifted girls are not as likely to seem well adjusted. Gifted girls at age 10 express wishes and needs for self-esteem. Gifted girls are more strongly influenced by their mothers than are gifted boys.

The Adolescent Gifted Girl

Gifted girls IQ scores drop in adolescence, perhaps as girls begin to perceive the giftedness in females is undesirable. Gifted girls take less rigorous courses than gifted boys in high school. Highly gifted girls often do not receive recognition for their achievements. Highly gifted girls attend less prestigious colleges than highly gifted boys.

Barriers for Gifted Girls

EXTERNAL Parents Teachers Grades Peers Society INTERNAL Self Confidence Social Problems/ Isolation

Career/ Family Concerns

Multipotentiality Perfectionism Underachievement

Gifted Girl Issues Are Often Presented in the Movies.

Akeelah and the Bee

Mean Girls

Matilda

Gender Bias with Gifted Females

Teachers are more likely to: Spend time interacting with males both verbally and nonverbally nominate students who do not match expected gender stereotypes Nominate disorganized introverted boys than disorganized introverted girls expect high achieving students to be masculine and low achieving students to be feminine

Why do Gifted Girls Start to Have Trouble?

the desire for friends,

a disinclination to stand out,

fear of ridicule, the need for acceptance Often they don't understand their own gifts and talents

What Can We Do About This Problem?

gifted girls require extra support that is particularly sensitive to the dilemma that talent brings to the position of females in our society. Make sure that girls dont receive reprimands or disapproval for behavior deemed aggressive, pushy, unfeminine or impolite. Parents influence tends to be the determining factor of self confidence in a particular area.

Acknowledgements
Navan, Joy. Nurturing the Gifted Female, A Guide for Educators and Parents. Corwin Press. 2009. Smutny, J. F. Understanding Our Gifted. Open Space Communications Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 9-13 Winter 1999. http://www.davidsongifted.org/ db/Articles_id_10171.aspx Gurian, Anita. "Gifted Girls- Many Gifted Girls, Few Eminent Women: Why?"NYU Child Study Center. Web. 30 July 2010. <http://www.aboutourkids.org/ articles/gifted_girls_many_gifted_girls_few_eminent _women_why>.