How Culture Impacts The Adultification of Young Girls.

Adultification is a term that has 2 separate definitions: a. the premature attribution of adult-like characteristics or responsibilties on children or adolescents and b. the perception of Black girls as less innocent and more adult-like than white girls of the same age. This paper will focus on the second definition.

Despite efforts to create inclusive and integrating schools, such as Brown v Board of

Education, young black girls continue to face discrimination through adultification bias in the

American education system. Society's image of black girls as more adult-like leads to higher behavioral standards, eliminating their childhood compared to their white female peers.

According to a recent study by the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality, adults

surveyed believe that black girls require less nurturing, less protection, less comfort, and

support, and are more knowledgeable about sex than their white classmates. The study also

discovered that treatment disparities begin as early as five years old, with perceptions of

difference peaking between the ages of 10 and 14.

Black girls are victims of the unjust American education system, in which they are

believed to have more adult-like qualities at a young, vulnerable age. The adultification of

African American girls in an academic setting can have several negative outcomes. The first

is hypersexualization, which refers to the misbelief that Black girls know more about sex than

their white peers or are participating in sexual activity at an earlier age than their white peers.

This misbelief leads to inappropriate views on their sexuality and racial bias when it comes to

dress codes.

The second negative outcome of adultification is the immediate censure when girls

make a mistake. This refers to unjust and harsher treatment from educators, including “less

patience” when making mistakes, answering questions, or arriving late. Research shows that

black girls are six times more likely to be suspended from school than white girls.

The third negative outcome of the adultification of African American girls is that

accountability is more likely to include punishment and exclusionary discipline than other

measures of accountability. An incident in South Carolina in 2015 involved the school’s resource officer slamming an African American female student to the ground for “disrupting

the class”. This is only one example of excessive and harsh disciplinary measures used

against people of color, specifically American American girls. Increased law enforcement

and security officers in schools can make girls feel unsafe and less likely to attend class.

Now, how does culture play a role in the adultification of Black girls?

Cultural factors including racial stereotypes, gender norms, and beauty standards can influence girls of color to dress or act unlike their age, influencing others’ perception of Black girls, whether in an educational setting or someplace else. Regardless of the way Black girls dress, speak, or act, the community should learn to respect their culture and address race and gender intersectionality to avoid adultification bias and build a positive relationship.

Addressing the adultification of black girls starts with informing and training

educators to prevent such incidents from affecting black girls’ learning outcomes. This

includes cultural competence training to recognize adultification bias, policy changes

prohibiting discriminatory practices in education and disciplinary practices, and mental health

support through counseling services to address the psychological impact of adultification and

discrimination.

In conclusion, addressing the adultification bias found in our current American

education systems is crucial to ensuring a positive environment for all students, including

girls of color.

Society should strive to eliminate harmful stereotypes, promote equality, and provide an educational environment in which every girl, regardless of their racial background, can thrive without the constraints of detrimental and unjust biases.

Bailes, Jordan. Adultification and Criminalization of Young Black Girls:

Using Adultification and Criminalization of Young Black Girls: Using

Culturally Responsive Education to Empower Adolescent Girls in Culturally

Responsive Education to Empower Adolescent Girls in Urban Schools Urban

Schools. Apr. 2021,

ecommons.udayton.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1306&context=uhp_these

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Bates, Karen Grigsby. “Study: Black Girls Are Being Pushed Out of School.”

NPR, 13 Feb. 2015,

www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/02/13/384005652/study-black-girls-

are-being-pushed-out-of-school.

Research Confirms That Black Girls Feel the Sting of Adultification Bias

Identified in Earlier Georgetown Law Study.

www.law.georgetown.edu/news/research-confirms-that-black-girls-feel-the-

sting-of-adultification-bias-identified-in-earlier-georgetown-law-study.

Sarah Odibat, 16, USA.