Chapter Analysis Over Schoolgirls By Peggy Or Frankenstein

I’m going to be writing this book analysis over Schoolgirls by Peggy Orenstein. Originally published in 1994, this book’s main ideas include young women, self-esteem, and the confidence gap. Orenstein studied girls who attend two different middle schools located in California: Audubon Middle School and Weston Middle School. This book depicts how a young girl’s brain and self-image develop as she goes through the different stages of adolescence and puberty. Orenstein chose the schools that she studied in based on the amount of integration the school had gone through, as well as the levels of participation the teachers, students, and their families were willing to give. She wanted to give details on girls from multiple ethnicities, classes,

They become easily embarrassed if they answer a question wrong in front of the class. Boys accept it and move on. They are the ones who dominate the classroom. Boys command more of the teacher’s time and energy and receive more positive reinforcement. In addition, they also receive more criticism. Boys are more likely to yell out answers in front of the class, and not give the other students an opportunity to think of the answer. When girls do speak in class, they generally follow the rules, by raising their hands and waiting their turns. Girls aren’t as likely to ask for help aloud in the classroom, and consequently never learn how to correct their mistakes. Teachers call on boys more often than girls in class, because the girls seem to not care by not participating. When girls do participate in class, they are regularly ignored due to the hidden curriculum. In fact, being ignored causes girls to become even more reluctant to participate. They are taught to keep to themselves, and some girls take this lesson of silence too

Athletic women are viewed as less depressed than their peers. They are more positive in their body image, and more often take risks both on and off the field. Latina girls have the highest self-esteem issues out of all three ethnic groups studied. They do not view their families as a source of positive self-worth, and they are more likely to drop out of school at a higher rate than any other ethnic group, male or female (xxii). African American girls generally have higher overall self-esteem than Caucasian girls. They stand up for themselves more often and are not as worried about what other people think about them. Their family is very important to them and they are recorded to feel “happy with the way I am” and “pretty good at a lot of things” at a rate that is close to the rate of white boys (xxi). Aggression is not as new to black women as it is to white women. The only thing that is different about black girls, negatively, is that they are more pessimistic about their teachers and their schoolwork. For the most part, girls who are at the highest risk of eating disorders are white, upper to middle class girls. They typically have received conflicting messages of silence and assertiveness at home, at school, or from boys. Many times, these girls who are in danger from themselves will not end up seeking help because they are taught