Smart Girls

December 1, 2016

Popular media narratives have created the perception that smart girls can easily achieve their goals and therefore have no need for feminism. However, Pomerantz and Raby (both, child & youth studies, Brock Univ.) have found that these narratives don't take into account the lived experience of said smart girls. To interrogate the stereotype, the authors interviewed 57 self-identified smart girls and 17 boys in southern Ontario and found that conforming to the stereotype has caused the subjects stress, pressure to hide their intellect, and conflict in their social lives. Even though the girls tended to ascribe their success to a neoliberal framework of self-directed hard work, the authors' analysis discovered that the interviewees tended to belong to racial and economic classes that support their achievements. This examination also revealed that racism and sexism is still present in these individuals daily lives. As the study took place in one town in Canada, it remains to be seen whether the findings can be applied to a broader, perhaps non-Western audience. VERDICT A compelling look into the complex topic of female academic success. Recommended for readers interested in education or gender studies.--Rebekah Kati, Durham, NC

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