Report finds WA girls less happy than boys due to perfectionist tendencies and stresses about future

Feeling like they have to be perfect — and failing to meet that impossible goal — is making West Australian girls less happy than boys. Pressure to be attractive and responsible and to perform well at school and sports appears to be contributing to a toxic environment for girls and young women aged 12-24 years old. Girls feel they have to be “perfect”, while boys’ bad behaviour is normalised as “boys will be boys”, a survey of nearly 1000 WA girls and young women aged 12 to 24 has found. Nearly half of girls between the ages of 12 and 18 feel they do not belong because they do not meet social and behavioral expectations, and girls, in general, are more likely to struggle with the transition from primary school to high school. That is partly because of the increased responsibility and the challenge to friendships, as well as the fact it can coincide with puberty and, in some cases, unwanted attention from boys and men. The survey by Commissioner for Children and Young People WA Jacqueline McGowan-Jones, tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, is a follow-up to 2021 research that flagged an alarming gap in wellbeing between young girls and boys in WA. The latest research is an attempt to understand why girls are consistently less happy than their male peers. Body image and a tendency for girls to compare themselves both to their peers and what they see online was one source of stress, even for those with a healthy weight. One 12-year-old girl said she compared herself to other girls who “seem to have little perfect lives, with perfect hair and face and skin and body”. “And when I look at myself, I think ‘disgusting’,” she said. The research also suggested social media had a role to play, given girls are more likely to be on image-based social media apps like TikTok and Instagram. “The main thing that influences me is the content that I am exposed to on different social media platforms,” one 15-year-old girl said. “It creates these ideas about what is considered ideal, whether it is physical beauty or the way you should act. Even if I am aware of this, it is hard to ignore, and it often impacts how I feel about myself.” Some girls surveyed said they felt excluded from certain community spaces, like skate parks and basketball courts, which were male-dominated. Others worried about having to juggle a career and family in a way that young men would not. Some felt they had less freedom than boys because of the fear of gender-based violence, and almost all of those surveyed described direct or indirect experiences of gender inequality. The report offered insights into why some girls were happier than others — and tips for parents, teachers or girls themselves. Having friends or at least someone to talk to was associated with better wellbeing, as was doing an activity they loved, whether that was playing a sport or a musical instrument. “My soccer club (is where) I can let the rest of my life and worries go whenever I turn up at the oval, and it helps so much with the state of my mental health,” one 15-year-old girl said. “The other stresses in my life, like friends, jobs, school, grades, expectations, social media and money, become minor and, in turn, much more manageable. Every time I leave that soccer oval after a run-around and a kick of the ball, my heart is content and I know that I can and will survive whatever life throws at me next.” Many of those surveyed wished they had been better prepared for the transition from primary school to high school. The report’s recommendations included encouraging young girls to be active and to find something they enjoy doing. It urged parents and other caregivers to listen to young people’s concerns and prepare them for the transition to high school. Ms McGowan-Jones said listening to young girls was crucial to closing the wellbeing gap. “It’s important that we not only understand the reasons behind the significant gap in the wellbeing of female, young people compared to male young people, but we also need to ensure these young women feel supported to help them achieve an improved sense of wellbeing,” she said. “My hope is that this report is used by Government and non-government sectors to inform policy, programs and services to improve wellbeing outcomes for girls and female young people.”