Female teenagers have been found to be the most affluent teens according to the Rand Youth Poll's nationwide survey. The survey finds the average weekly income from female teens age 16 to 19 to be $82, with $50 from earnings and the balance from their allowances. Other findings from the survey indicate that adolescent girls receive more than adolescent males in allowance from parents, as mothers understand the need for the female teen to have the income necessary to purchase clothing and cosmetics. Past research studies have attempted to measure the influence sources on teenagers when purchasing clothing by asking teens to rank different influence sources or by asking the teens who accompany them when shopping. The current research study develops a structural equation model that allows for the comparison of the three predominant influence sources identified in the consumer socialization literature, i.e., parental influence, peer influence, and promotional communications sought out by the teen. To test the model, 206 randomly selected female teenagers completed a mail questionnaire regarding the influences on clothing interest. The female teens were all members of a non-denominational youth group, age 13 to 19, living in the North Texas region. The model derived is only the third model in the marketing literature to examine the consumer socialization process, and the first in fifteen years. Examining the three main influence sources identified from consumer socialization literature, peer, parent, and media sources, the results differ from past models. The female teens perceive parental influence as a negative influence on clothing interest, contrary to past findings. Peers and media are perceived as positive influences on teen clothing interest as in past models. The results signify the need for marketing researchers to continue to investigate the dynamic nature of consumer socialization.

This study compares the effectiveness of three selected exercises (curl-up, conventional hook sit-up and modified hook sit-up) in building abdominal strength and endurance in upper elementary school girls. Ninety-nine subjects were randomly divided into four groups. The study was designed to determine (1) whether an eight week exercise program can increase abdominal strength and endurance; (2) the most effective exercise; (3) if muscle action intensity affects the results. A cable tensiometer measured abdominal strength and a timed sit-up measured abdominal endurance. An analysis of covariance determined significance. Significant gains in abdominal strength and endurance were shown by the conventional hook sit-up. Further study on the relationship between muscle development and maturation in young children is recommended.

This study is a description of selected personality characteristics of seventh- and eighth-grade girls and the changes that occur before and after a program of either aerobics (running) or anaerobics (calisthenics) conditioning exercises during the fall semester, 1973.

"The problem of this thesis is to study the recreational interests of children in grades four through seven and to compare the interests of boys with those of girls in order to ascertain whether the interests of the two sexes begin to differ appreciably during these grades, and, if so, to determine the grade level where differences occur."--1-2.

Research on colorism continues to gain momentum across several disciplines. However, while varied studies have explored the social phenomenon among adult populations, especially those of African ancestry, few have systematically investigated the extent to which African American youth are exposed to or endorse hierarchical perceptions of skin color. The current study addresses this void in colorism literature. Employing a grounded theory approach, the present investigation examines African American female adolescents’ perceptions of skin color, aiming specifically to understand the sociocultural factors that underpin and contribute to colorist socializations as well as sources of skin color messages. Five focus groups and nine interviews were conducted with 30 African American girls ranging in age from 12-16. Participants were recruited from local Boys and Girls clubs, neighborhood centers, and nonprofit organizations. Participants were asked such a priori based questions as: 1) What do people think about light skin Black girls? 2) What do people think about dark skin Black girls? 3) What messages about skin color do you hear from Rap music? and 4) Do Black men and boys prefer girls of certain skin colors. Constant comparison data analysis and coding revealed African Americans girls are, in fact, exposed to and endorse hierarchical perceptions of skin color, the central phenomenon Three core categories related to the central phenomenon emerged: 1) sources of skin color messages, e.g. family and rap music 2) skin color messages, e.g. skin color governs social standing, physical attributes, and personality/behavioral traits and 3) effects of skin color messages, e.g. mate preferences, desires to change one’s appearance, and within-race division. From these three core categories emerged seven subcategories and themes that offer additional information and insight into the central phenomenon. Findings from this study indicate African American young females are significantly influenced by skin color preferences, and thus may stand to gain from the development of curricula or programs designed to counter colorist stereotypes, reduce the effects of skin color biases, and promote a greater sense of self-satisfaction and wellbeing.

184 second grade girls from different primary schools were measured. Current body height, body weight, mid-arm circumference, body mass index and the skinfold thickness were established. All the body characteristics were statistically processed and they were analysed. The results are in a good agreement with current czech standards (V. and VI. Nation-wide Anthropological Survey of Children and Adolescents in the Czech Republic 1991, 2001), or in case of skinfold thickness (Bláha et al, 1999 a ). The results could be influenced by the optional permition of girls

The main aim of the graduation thesis "Reflection of a girl's world in the magazine Bravo Girl!" using Critical Discourse Analysis is to identify ideology hidden in the texts of the mentioned magazine and to analyze all forms of the ideology "us" against "them". The theoretical part focuses on the significant concepts related to a text and its analysis and simultaneously deals with social and psychological aspects of gender socialization process. Special attention is paid to topics such as family, school, friends, new technologies and media. The author finds them to be a dominant source of influence in the life of teenage girls. The analytical part presents a girl's world from the Bravo Girl! point of view and inspects the language used by girls and the magazine. It attempts to estimate to which extent the magazine through language reflects values, attitudes and priorities of teenage girls and what is the role of the magazine in this. The qualitative method of semiology analysis is applied on press advertising. Keywords Magazine, ideology, language, teenage girls, stereotypes, beauty myth

As South Africa’s struggle against apartheid entered its final, turbulent decade, African students and youth rose to the forefront of the liberation movement, engaging in non-violent protest and militant confrontation with the apartheid state. In the existing historiography, the “comrades” – as young activists were known – are predominantly depicted as male, with little attention paid to the experiences of politicised girls and young women. This thesis is the first extensive study of South Africa’s female comrades, focused on activists from the township of Soweto. In analysing the experiences of young female activists, it introduces their voices into male-dominated historical narratives, and complicates and challenges existing histories of gender, generation, identity, and political violence in late-apartheid South Africa. Drawing on oral history interviews with former comrades, the thesis provides new insight into why girls joined the struggle, what roles they played, how they were treated by their male comrades, and their experiences of political detention. It argues that the struggle, despite being a male-dominated arena, could provide girls with a sense of agency and empowerment at a time when girls’ lives were otherwise marked by their confinement to the private sphere, social subordination, and susceptibility to sexual violence. Thus, just as the struggle offered young men a means of asserting their masculinity, so too did it offer young women a means of challenging emphasised femininities and constructing oppositional gender identities that defied social expectations and limitations of traditional girlhood. Additionally, this thesis improves current understandings of girls’ experiences of conflict on a global scale by challenging widely held assumptions of girls’ predisposition to peaceful behaviour and lack of political agency. In so doing it places Soweto’s female comrades within broader narratives of liberation movements across Africa, Latin America, and elsewhere. This thesis thus makes an important and original contribution not just to South African history, but also to histories of nationalism and liberation movements, feminist conflict studies, and girlhood studies.

M.A. / The alarming increase of single parent families in South Africa is distressing. The rising divorce rate and the crisis surrounding divorce was the motivation for the researcher to undertake this study. Many children in South Africa are disadvantaged by the high divorce rate and much documented evidence proves the extensive sociological and psychological effects which this has on these children. Research has shown over and again that divorce is observed from a child's perspective as being stressful. (Wallerstein & Kelly, 1974) It has also been shown that many children are adversely affected by divorce. However the extent to which they are affected depends on various elements, such as age of the child, time since divorce, sex of the child and developmental stage of the child, to mention but a few. The goals of this study were formulated in a response to the need for the eventual development of a support program for adolescent girls experiencing the divorce of their parents. The aim of this study was to select a sample of adolescent girls and interview them by means of a semi-structured interview in order to hear their experiences of their parents' divorces. Research has shown that boys from divorced families are affected differently to girls from divorced families and hence the researcher chose to interview only females so as to exclude any extraneous variables. (Wallerstein & Blakeslee, 1989) The reason for choosing the stage of adolescence in particular is due to the fact that it represents a critical period in the establishment of the self-concept, due to all the changes that accompany adolescence. Adolescence is complicated if it is experienced without the security and care of a stable family structure and the support of both parents. The emotional stability of the single parent and their dealing with single parenthood influences the adolescent and his or her self-concept to a large extent. This study was undertaken within the framework of a qualitative study and qualitative methods of data collection were applied. The research design integrated exploratory, descriptive and evaluative methods. The phenomenon of divorce with specific reference to the effects it has on adolescents and aspects pertaining to the phenomena of coping with parental divorce, were identified and discussed.

In this study we have analysed six modern books for children and adolescents. The books we chose to analyse were four titles from the series Lassemajas detektivbyrå, Rum 213 and Cirkeln because they are popular among girls in compulsory school. The aim of the analysis was to investigate how girls are presented in the books as regards personality, appearance and relations. We also wanted to investigate the gender relations expressed in the books. We discovered that the books we analysed largely go against traditional norms. This was most visible in Cirkeln. In Lassemajas detektivbyrå there are leading characters who break the norms, but otherwise traditional gender patterns are retained. In Rum 213 it was not as clear that the author wanted to break traditional patterns. In the books we observed a desire to create new spaces for girls to be themselves on the basis of their identity and not their gender. It is our perception that today’s books for children and adolescents are increasingly questioning traditional norms.