The Right Kind of Peer Pressure for Girls

My husband is brilliant. And he reads a lot. He recently sent me this Slate article on peer pressure — the right kind of peer pressure.

Here’s the part most interesting to me as a mom and a leader:  “Two recent studies suggest that Pipher’s basic observation about girls’ vulnerability to peer pressure remains true, but they emphasize that peer pressure can sometimes be a good thing. The studies examined the academic achievement of high school students and found that being surrounded by underachieving classmates has a negative effect on girls and boys—both genders feel pressure to conform to the lower standards of their peers. But the studies also show that girls are more sensitive than boys to the presence of high-achieving peers. Surround a girl with diligent classmates, and her performance will improve.”

In some ways, this is one of those times when research confirms what we might have intuitively guessed — that kids are influenced by their peers.  But what’s interesting is that girls might be more influenced by peers than boys.  Plus it’s motivating for parents and leaders to think about their kids’ friends and to pray and try to surround your kid with as many positive friends as possible.

Anyone have any guesses as to why girls might be more influenced by peers than boys?

©2010 Fuller Youth Institute