Cindy Mbasu, 13, took part in a study (New window) conducted by Stella Igweamaka and Nana Appah on behalf of Black Canadian Women in Action. She claims to have been the victim of adultery multiple times. In her opinion, the fact that she hit puberty earlier contributed to her situation.
[Les gens] I thought I had reached a certain level of maturity and stuff [influençait la façon dont] they talked to me. They discounted my age and saw me as someone who could take criticism
She says.
” This prejudice is a form of racial injustice that has been ignored to this day. »
She says she was treated unfairly, especially at school.
” If I was in class and asked to go to the bathroom, thinking I was already an adult, [les enseignants] asked me to wait and be patient [contrairement] to my white comrades, who immediately had permission. »
It’s also frustrating that people have an idea of me before they even know me. They meet me and already think a certain thing before they interact with me
She says.
During the study, young black girls reported being scolded by their teachers for their dress or hairstyle, while white students did not.
Deprived of innocence
In fact, the results of the study show that respondents see black girls as such more mature than their white counterparts
and that they are bound by a higher standard of conduct.
Additionally, 12% of respondents believe that black girls ages 5-9 have more adult responsibilities than white girls of the same age, and 53% feel the same about girls ages 10-14.
The survey also shows that 11% of respondents believe black girls aged 0-4 are more independent than white girls.
” This robs them of that innocence of childhood, they must not be seen as children in order to be able to behave like children. »
Perceiving black girls as more mature can have many consequences, such as: Stella Igweamaka complains, for example, that she was expelled from school and suspended more often.
She says it can also result in lower motivation and academic performance, as well as multiple mental health effects.
Stella Igweamaka points out that parents themselves can encourage their daughters to appear more mature, for example, by expecting them to do more chores and behave in a more mature manner.
According to her, systemic racism, misogyny, slavery, early physical development, and the hypersexualization of black women and girls, among others, are at the root of coming of age.
Jeanne Lehman, founder of Black Canadian Women in Action, says the study will help develop programs to help black girls approaching adulthood. According to the organization, the solutions lie, among other things, in education, the promotion of cultural diversity and the strengthening of activities for black children.
Methodology:
Nana Appah and Stella Igweamaka conducted the study from June 30 to July 10, 2022 in Canada with 400 Canadians from the online panel Maru and Logit Group. Half of the sample had to answer questions about their perceptions of young white girls and half about young black girls. As a guide only, a probability sample of this size would have had a margin of error of +/- 5.0 percentage points.
With information from Flore Tamko Mbensi and Andrea Huncar
Award-winning entrepreneur. Baconaholic. Food advocate. Wannabe beer maven. Twitter ninja.
