Women experience more low mood and worry from men. This long-standing gender mental health gap reflects a complex mix of biological, psychological, social and sociocultural factors – although we are still a long way from fully understanding it.
NHS Data shows that young women aged 17-19 are twice as likely to experience a mental health disorder as young men. Other national data shows steeper increases in low mood and anxiety symptoms for girls.
Common explanations given include social media, the increased sexuality of girls and increasing academic pressure. But the girls themselves were rarely asked what they thought. This limits our understanding of their needs and experiences.
In a study about what girls themselves think about the worsening of girls’ bad mood and anxiety tendencies, I worked closely with two young women, Pratyasha and Jo, from start to finish. This was important to make sure that we not only listened to the girls, but that we asked them the right questions in a constructive way and could better understand what they told us. We worked together throughout to plan how the research would be conducted, talk to the girls who participated, and interpret what we heard.
Our wider research team included people from many different academic and clinical backgrounds, but the lived experience and practical input of Pratyasha and Jo were central to every stage of the project. We spoke to 32 girls aged 16 to 18 across England, from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, about their views on the widening adolescent gender mental health gap.
Gender expectations
The girls described how sexist stereotypes shaped their lives from an early age. They described how they saw – and felt expected to conform to – narrow views of how girls ‘should’ behave and present themselves. Many said they had been judged when they were seen as non-compliant: told to smile or made fun of for liking football. They explained that these experiences shaped their lives in many ways, including normalizing sexual harassment at school and affecting their self-esteem.
“People think that an insecure girl is just one who thinks, ‘oh, my hair isn’t good enough,'” Sunita said, “but it’s a lot deeper than that and I think a lot of the insecurities inside girls that they just don’t feel like … a person because of the way they’ve been treated.”
This echoes research showing that gender norms can be worrying and stressful for girls. This could partly explain higher rates of low mood among the girls.
Girls also described significant academic pressure: intense exams, fear of making mistakes, and pressure to excel. They felt that these issues could be exacerbated for girls, who are expected to achieve and prove themselves. They said this could cause feelings of sadness and worry, particularly as they were working on high-stakes exams.
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“In year nine I was perfect,” Hannah recalls, “and then in year ten I was really sad and really depressed and so stressed because I really wanted to do well in my GCSEs.”
Evidence shows that academic pressure affects mental healthwith some evidence for greater results for girls. In the UK, there has been considerable concern about how education reforms in the 2010s could increase the pressure on young people.
Although the limited data available does not suggest young people feel more pressured than in the past, it seems school satisfaction has declined sharply in recent years. It is important to try to understand what this might mean for girls and their mental health.
Comparison, insecurities and social media
Girls reflected on social media participation as a mixed experience with some positives. They pointed out that comparison and insecurity are normalized in social media spaces. They said visual platforms such as Instagram and TikTok particularly reinforce gendered expectations for girls about how they should present themselves. They explained that while the standards set on social media about life and how one should look are unrealistic, it is difficult to know what is “real”.
“In your mind you compare yourself without even thinking about it and it affects your mood,” Kira reflected. These insights from girls are in line with growing evidence of the effects of social media on mental health they depend on specific experiencesnot just time spent online. The evidence also suggests that the comparison elements involved in social media can be particular problematic for girls.
As girls’ mental health has been declining for several years, it is vital that we engage and listen to their views. In this project, this meant involving them directly in examining and discussing the evidence so that we could better understand trends in their mental health. Girls need meaningful opportunities to share their challenges and priorities on issues affecting their mental health.
For parents, teachers and others who support teenage girls, it can mean creating a space for open discussion about the issues that affect them in life. The girls we spoke to repeatedly emphasized how important it is to have supportive environments where they can process and understand their world – and be heard and supported.
