A study, commissioned by the Danish company Novo Nordisk and unveiled this Tuesday in the columns of Parisian, illustrates the weight of gender stereotypes in monitoring children’s growth. As a main conclusion, an observation: parents follow the evolution of their child’s height much less attentively if she is a girl.
As recalled on its Novo Nordisk site, growth in humans is caused by the natural production of a hormone by the pituitary gland, a gland located in the brain. In addition to making us grow, this hormone allows the development of bones, organs and regulates metabolism.
The weight of stereotypes
According to the Danish company, more than 200 pathologies can cause growth retardation, very often rare such as Noonan syndrome or growth hormone deficiency. Also, an unexpected cessation of growth can be a sign of cystic fibrosis or a brain tumor. But while these conditions affect both boys and girls regardless of gender, only 41% of patients treated for growth disorders are girls.
The Novo Nordisk study shows the weight of stereotypes in following curves. Generally speaking, parents expect children to grow to a height that is considered suitable for adulthood. For girls, the expectations are different: you certainly have to grow up, but not too much.
with our colleagues from ParisianBéatrice Demaret, president of the Grandir association, which specializes in growing problems, said that she was well aware of this problem.
“We have been warned about this discrimination for years: parents are more attentive to the height of their children. However, a child that grows well is a sign of good health.”
Diligently follow your child’s growth
Thus, parents are more likely to entrust their child to a health professional when it presents growth disorders. Novo Nordisk suggests that parents are 50% more likely to see a doctor for their son than for their daughter.
With the entry into force of the new health card in 2018, some changes were made. Inside, the growth curves have been modified taking into account their sex from birth. Before, the growth curves of girls and boys did not differ before the age of 3 years.
A useful advance, but one that requires some investment on the part of the parents. In France, only half of them measure their child every year, and only 25% systematically record the height in the health record.
For Béatrice Demaret, therefore, it is necessary “of course to educate parents who sometimes consult very late when the growth plates are almost solidified, but also health professionals who do not always correctly complete the health record “.
Source: BFM TV
