Rethinking “again” girls at-promise: A vicennial response

ABSTRACT

This article presents a brief commentary on Abrams’ Rethinking Girls “At-Risk” (2002) and uses a vicennial perspective to retrospectively explore the conceptual structure respecting adolescent female development. Acknowledging the change in collective ideological values and social normative influences, the piece comments on how certain theories and approaches argued by Abrams in the 2000s have either evolved or been phased out, and accordingly repositioned adolescent girls’ developmental experiences in the present-day dialogue. An up-to-date examination of contextual and sociocultural factors is put forward in this commentary, along with the three components summarized in empowering women’s agency today: participation, authority, and deliverance. What follows is a discussion of topical issues concerning recent global activities and milestones, with a particular attention to cyberactivism and the impact of COVID-19, for the understanding of the risks concerned with girls’ development and the enquiry into young women’s lives at the present time. This reflective piece is a useful conceptual basis in juxtaposition with Abrams’ article, providing those involved in adolescent female development with conceptualizations and a thematic frame of reference in tackling adolescent girls’ development, against the backdrop of cultural, political, and social trends.

KEYWORDS:

• Adolescent development
• gender
• at-promise youth
• girls
• social context

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sheng-Hsiang Lance Peng

Sheng-Hsiang Lance Peng is a PhD Candidate at the Faculty of Education of the University of Cambridge.