Developmental, Sex and gender
The trouble with boys
Stephen Frosh, Ann Phoenix and Rob Pattman find that the image of the angrily grunting and inarticulate teenager does not stand up to scrutiny.
18 February 2003
Teenage boys have a troublesome reputation, making them central figures in contemporary moral panics. Media and government, teachers and police; all focus on boys mainly as potential problems. Their apparent underachievement at school and the escalation of street crime, linked especially to mobile phone theft, are the main recent examples. Other sources of concern include ‘control’ problems ranging from delinquency to sexual abuse perpetration (e.g. Farrington, 1995; Vizard et al., 1995).
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