LEGO has ushered in a new era of global research that values imagination and creativity instead of the contestant need for perfection.
The LEGO Group has unveiled findings from global research looking into societal trends affecting children’s creative confidence. It finds that the pressure of perfection and everyday vocabulary poses a risk, particularly for girls, in holding them back from reaching their full creative potential. The company hopes to spotlight that by simply adjusting our language, we can help shape a brighter future for girls.
Surveying over 61,500 parents and children aged five to 12 across 36 countries, the data calls for societal change to ensure girls can fulfil their creative aspirations and play unstoppable. Researchers found girls as young as five are having their creative confidence stifled and awareness of the pressures of perfection.
At this young age, three-quarters (76 percent) feel confident in their creativity, but this declines as they get older and two-thirds of all girls often feel worried about sharing their ideas. This is compounded by the burden of perfectionism and anxiety about making mistakes (72 percent). Parents agree – 71 percent said girls are more likely to hold back developing their ideas because of these pressures.
“When children fear failing, it can hamper their willingness to explore and think outside the box. This impacts the key skill of creative confidence – which can carry into adulthood. Creative confidence is the self-assurance to generate ideas, take risks and contribute unique solutions without fear of failure,” said Harvard-trained parenting researcher and bestselling author, Jennifer B Wallace.
“It’s been found to be a cornerstone of well-being by boosting self-esteem, reducing stress, and increasing happiness, as well as a top-ranked skill for future workplaces according to the World Economic Forum. With over three-quarters of girls aspiring to work in creative industries, it underscores the urgent need for change.”
More than three in five girls report feeling pressured by society’s messages of perfection. While this is a concern for all children, both parents and children acknowledge that girls face heightened pressures to be perfect and worry more about making mistakes.
The good news: by changing our language we can help change the future. The study shows that everyday language is playing a role inhibiting girls’ from freely expressing themselves creatively. In fact, nearly two-thirds of girls aged five to 12 said language they hear makes them worry about making mistakes, feel like they shouldn’t experiment, or reinforces this need to be perfect.
Findings also highlight a significant societal bias disproportionately impacting girls, with parents noting a prevailing trend where gendered descriptions are commonly used to assess the creative outputs of male and female creators. More specifically, society is around seven times more likely to attribute terms like “sweet”, “pretty”, “cute” and “beautiful” exclusively to girls. While terms such as “brave”, “cool”, “genius” and “innovative” are twice as likely to be attributed exclusively to boys.
The data also reveals over half of children believe adults listen more to boys’ creative ideas than those of girls. Sixty-eight percent of parents also agree that society takes male creatives more seriously than females.
In a new short film, ‘More Than Perfect’, the LEGO Group explores the effect that language can have on girls’ creative confidence, as we see them being taken through two different challenges and presented with some of the global research findings. We hear powerful reflections from the girls and capture parents’ reactions.
“What we said early sets in deep. Biased language reinforces traditional gender roles, which can play a role in limiting girls’ creativity and perpetuating systemic inequalities. It can confine them to narrow categories, such as valuing aesthetics over innovation. This implicit bias can hamper girls’ confidence and restrict their opportunities in male-dominated fields. Challenging these biases is essential for fostering an inclusive society where girls can fully explore their creative potential. Every girl deserves the freedom to explore her creativity without fear or pressure,” said Wallace.
According to girls themselves, 80 percent said they would be less afraid to try new things if mistakes are praised more as learning opportunities, eight in ten would also feel more confident to show their work and would value progress over perfection. Nine in ten believe their confidence would be boosted if adults focused more on the creative process of their work instead of the final output – with 86 percent admitting this would make them feel less worried about making mistakes. More specifically, girls report being uplifted by growth-mindset compliments such as ‘imaginative,’ ‘brave’ and ‘inspiring.’
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