The news that a quarter of girls are self-harming – nearly four times as many as boys – reminded me of a line in Louis Theroux’s documentary, The City Addicted to Crystal Meth. In it, a woman working in a rehab clinic tells Theroux: “Men know who their enemies are: they’re gangs, the police, their enemy in war. Women tend to be abused by those who say ‘I love you’, so it’s very crazy-making. Men need to learn how to express themselves; women know how to express themselves – it’s how they do it that’s the problem.”
Of course, there are so many reasons why young people self harm – indeed, given that it has been on the rise since 2010, I hope someone commissions a study on the link between self-harm and austerity – but the striking gender divide demands further scrutiny. It is not inevitable that girls will harm themselves more than boys. It simply cannot be separated from the way women and men are generally socialised.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2oliaiw
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