Is My Femininity a Liability? Longitudinal Associations between Girls’ Experiences of Gender Discrimination, Internalizing Symptoms, and Gender Identity

Abstract

Gender discrimination is a common experience for adolescent girls and has implications for their mental health and identity development. Guided by Phenomenological Variant of Ecological Systems Theory (PVEST; Spencer et al. 1997), this study examined the longitudinal and bidirectional associations between adolescent girls’ experiences of gender discrimination, their internalizing symptoms, and gender identity. The sample was 161 adolescent girls (ages 14–17; Mage = 15.90) from across the United States (51% White; 17% African American, 11% Hispanic/Latina) who participated in a short-term longitudinal study of adolescent development. The results showed a reciprocal, longitudinal association between discrimination and internalizing symptoms. Discrimination also predicted longitudinal declines in gender identity, which was explained indirectly through internalizing symptoms. The findings implicate gender discrimination as a distinct risk factor during girls’ developmental years, and underscore the importance of helping girls learn adaptive responses to sexism, while also reducing actual occurrence and exposure.