WHEN BEING A GIRL IS BAD: GENDER PERCEPTIONS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

Abstract

This article is a clipping of a research that analyzed the perceptions of girls aged 6-14 on the aspects that facilitate and/or prevent the development of their abilities, and the guarantee of their rights, from their family, school, community and social environment. The study had a multi-methodological approach and covered Brazil’s five regions. In particular, the girls' perception stands out based on the examination of their answers to two questions. It was observed that the girls argue negative aspects of gender from four big factors: (a) sexual violence, (b) behavior and aesthetics, (c) relations with the body and sexuality, and (d) responsibilities and freedom restriction. In all of them, the girls’ discourses confirm how power relations are determinant in the conceptions, representations and practices of gender that are still hegemonic in society.

Keywords: Girls; Adolescents; Feminist studies; Gender violence; Gender inequality