Comment: What it鈥檚 like growing up as a girl in the north of England Published on: 25 October 2018 Writing for The Conversation, Dr Sarah Winkler-Reid discusses the Girl-Kind North East project Pexels. , and , There鈥檚 no denying that growing up as a girl has always been tricky. On top of the demands of school, family and friends, there are also myriad expectations about how girls should and shouldn鈥檛 be. Girls today are frequently depicted as , and . But has found them to be eloquent, critical and supportive, loving friends within their peer groups. Of course, while growing up can be difficult for all girls, it can be harder for some than others. by development and humanitarian organisation Plan International shows there is a stark geographical divide in the experiences of girls growing up in the UK today. Girls living in inner-city areas of the north of England have to overcome the greatest barriers. This is based on the organisation鈥檚 mapping of key data indicators, which include life expectancy, reproductive health and educational outcomes. A more recent by the Children鈥檚 Commissioner also found social and economic inequalities associated with growing up in the north. The findings show the north-east has the best primary schools in the country, yet the region has the lowest adult employment rate. But importantly, the report also highlighted the fierce pride that young people feel for where they live and being northern. Speak for yourself The project allowed girls to share their thoughts and feeling on what it鈥檚 like growing up in the world today. Delphi Ross, Author provided Both of previous projects have found girls to be critical and reflective. They think about their lives, how they are represented, and how things could potentially be different. However, a pessimistic and ominous tone still pervades in media representations of teenage girls. Concern over young women鈥檚 lives is a recurrent theme in the media, in public debate and among policymakers, but it is not very often that we hear from girls themselves. So with this in mind, and drawing on our previous research studies, we launched the . , held annually, involves a series of workshops in schools which start with a simple question: what are the challenges and opportunities of growing up as a girl in the north-east of England? We then work with girls to help them decide what they want people to know, and how they want to represent it. The things they create and make are showcased at a celebration event to mark . Being a girl Girl-Kind was developed as a response to the current negative representation of girls in mainstream media and more generally the that assume from the outset what 鈥渋ssues鈥� girls face, without asking them first. As researchers based in the northern city of 缅北禁地, it made sense to focus on our region. Conversations with the girls during the workshops also addressed their experiences of living in the north east and their consciousness of how the region is perceived by the rest of the UK. They spoke about the assumptions that are made and the stereotypes that persist in media representations, which contrast with the great pride they have for the north east and what it has to offer. Find out more about growing up in the UK in our recent podcast: Anthill 21: Growing up.
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