Want to Raise Successful Daughters? Science Says Nag the Heck Out of Them
An academic study says consistently setting high expectations for girls (a.k.a. nagging them) makes them more likely to suceed.
Someday, my daughter is going to kill me for this one, but it’s a story that will vindicate parents everywhere.
Researchers in the United Kingdom say parents’ super-high expectations for their teenage daughters—especially if they remind them constantly of those expectations—are among the most important factors in predicting whether young girls will grow up to become successful women.
As a university press release put it: “Behind every successful woman is a nagging mom? Teenage girls more likely to succeed if they have pushy mothers.”
Nag more, fail less.
The researchers at the University of Essex found that girls whose “main parent”—that’s usually the mother—consistently displayed high parental expectations were far less likely to fall into the traps that made the girls less likely to succeed in life.
Specifically, these girls were:
Less likely to become pregnant as teenagers. More likely to attend college. Less likely to get stuck in dead-end, low-wage jobs. Less likely to have prolonged periods of unemployment.
So, thank your mom for the nagging. And to my darling daughter, believe me, this will be harder on me than it is for you.
(via Inc. Magazine)