Interesting opinion piece in Wednesday’s USA Today. The author, Laura Vanderkam, maintained that princess culture — all that exposure to Disney princesses over time — has contributed to creating a generation of girls and young women who believe that if they are charming and patient enough, their prince will come to rescue them from economic woes. Vanderkam felt that this was the wrong message in an economy where 75% of all of those who have lost jobs are men, and the percentage of working wives with unemployed husbands rose from 2.4% to 5.4% between 2007 and 2009. Her point: A growing number of women will be the sole support their families at some point, and are not making plans to be able to do that — in two-income households, the mom typically tends to work fewer hours and provides about a third of the family income. When suddenly responsible for all income, “Newly minted breadwinner moms feel stressed because suddenly it’s not about vacations or violin lessons. Their children’s standard of living is up to them,” says Vankerkam.
Do you think an abundant exposure to the princess philosophy affects girls’ views on earning money and supporting a family? What steps should be taken to assure that they are prepared if the full economic burden falls on their shoulders?
For more, see The Princess Problem.
I could not agree more. I have been complaining about the princess effect for more than two years. It goes far beyond economics to independence and even girls’ self esteem.
It’s deplorable, and I wish more people would take notice.