As an adolescent girl begins the journey from childhood to adulthood, the way she begins to see herself and visualize her future as a young woman is influenced greatly not only by the women around her, but also by the images of women portrayed in books, magazines, television and other media. Since women are often belittled or portrayed in limited roles by the media, this journey can be perilous, weakening a girl's self-image and, ultimately, her future goals. In recent years, researchers have charted a sharp fall in girls' self-esteem during the teen years.
Studies show that teachers tend to encourage boys to speak their minds and girls to listen quietly.
Other research shows that girls are more likely to be sexually harassed in high school than boys and to suffer painful emotional consequences from the harassment. In West Virginia, girls are slightly less likely than boys to drop out of high school and more likely to go to college. A federal law known as Title IX outlaws discrimination in schools, but both conscious and unconscious discrimination continues. Girls' math scores on standardized tests fall at this time too. However, girls start to lose math confidence before their test scores and math achievement levels go down.