Reshma Saujani, in her presentation 'Teach Girls Bravery, Not Perfection,' shares a deeply personal narrative beginning with her own leap into the unknown when she ran for Congress in 2012. Despite a well-supported campaign, she faced a significant loss, which, rather than disheartening her, sparked a realization about the societal pressures that mold women to seek perfection over bravery. This experience, Saujani explains, marked her first real act of bravery – stepping out not to secure a guaranteed win but to fulfill a personal conviction, undeterred by the potential for imperfection.
Saujani continues by discussing the broader implications of this culture of perfection on women's careers, particularly in fields dominated by men like STEM. She cites studies, including one from HP, that highlight a stark contrast in job application behaviors between men and women, which she attributes to the ingrained societal norms that encourage women to avoid risk and failure. Her talk pivots to address the educational and developmental roots of this issue, referencing psychologist Carol Dweck's research on fifth graders' responses to challenging assignments, which further illustrates how early these differences manifest.
To combat these deep-seated norms, Saujani founded Girls Who Code, an organization aimed at socializing girls to value bravery over perfection through learning to code—an activity replete with continual trial and error. She shares transformative stories from the program, where failure becomes a stepping stone rather than a setback, fundamentally changing how girls perceive challenges and their abilities to overcome them. These narratives not only highlight the individual growth of the participants but also underscore the potential societal and economic benefits of empowering girls to embrace imperfection and risk.
In conclusion, Reshma calls for a systemic shift in how we raise and educate girls, advocating for a supportive community that encourages and normalizes bravery. This change, she argues, is essential for achieving gender parity in all sectors and for fostering a generation of women who are innovators and leaders, unafraid to fail and resilient in the face of challenges. Her powerful call to action is not just about altering how girls think about themselves but also about transforming how society at large perceives and supports women, aiming to create a more inclusive and equitable world.
