A nationwide poll of students ages 9-15, Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America (1991) examines the impact of gender on self-esteem, career aspirations, educational experiences, and interest in math and science. The study found that as girls reach adolescence, they experience a significantly greater drop in self-esteem than boys experience. The poll also confirms a growing body of research that indicates girls are systematically, if unintentionally, discouraged from a wide range of academic pursuits -- particularly in math and science. This gap in self-esteem and drop in girls' interest in math and science have devastating consequences for the future of girls and the future of the nation.

Produced in conjunction with the poll, AAUW's Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America video integrates poll results and the voices and faces of American girls with a roundtable of education experts and public policy leaders.

Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America, released in 1991 was commissioned by AAUW and researched by Greenberg-Lake: The Analysis Group.

Executive Summary (PDF)

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