Teen boys feel more supported by parents, compared with girls: Study

When Ms Tunitha Reku, 44, talks to her 15-year-old son, he is happy to give his mother just the gist of what happened in his school. However, it is different with her daughters, who are 13 and 14.

- Elisha Tushara

“Whatever Leshawn discusses with me is usually on the surface; he doesn’t go into details. But my daughters like to have detailed discussions. So there’s definitely more in-depth discussions with them,” said Ms Tunitha.

The full-time tutor told The Straits Times that because of these differences, the type of attention she gives her daughters is different from what she gives her two sons, the younger of whom is six.

This differentiated support is what researchers would recommend after a National Institute of Education (NIE) study found that Secondary 1 boys feel more supported by their parents as compared with girls of the same age.

This is because girls may have different perceptions of the quality of support they get from their parents, said Dr Melvin Chan, who led the study. He noted that past research has found that girls tend to report less positive perceptions of parental support, compared with boys.

“Even if parents feel that they offer adequate support to their children, it is important to consider their child’s perception and experience of the support received,” he said, adding that these findings could inform parents and educators on appropriate and differentiated support practices between boys and girls.