{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,13]],"date-time":"2026-07-13T21:23:27Z","timestamp":1783977807153,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]],"date-time":"2025-04-14T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744588800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"The Social Contract","award":["Dnr 12212"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["Dnr 12212"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background\/Objectives: Swedish schools are mandated to counteract gender norms that restrict students\u2019 life opportunities. School personnel also bear the responsibility of fostering students\u2019 democratic responsibilities and healthy behaviors, which is crucial not only for their mental wellbeing but also for their academic performance, as stressed by the European Commission. Aim: The purpose of the present study is to explore adolescents\u2019 performativity of gender when discussing social barriers to mental and emotional wellbeing. Methods: Fifty adolescents were interviewed in small gender-divided groups, and the transcribed text was analyzed using thematic analysis. Theoretically, interactionist perspective and gender analytic discourses are applied. Results: Emotional barriers to mental wellbeing were identified based on too cogent gender norms. Boys describe challenging each other and the environment by using a social facade that includes \u201cstoneface\u201d and harsh language, seldom showing sadness, even among close friends. The girls\u2019 facade includes maintaining a \u201chappy face\u201d and trying to be attractive. Both genders underline the need for belonging, and most of them fear social exclusion from peers. According to the interviewees, it is socially acceptable for girls to display most feelings, even mental difficulties such as anxiety or phobia, but among boys, gender norms still hinder them from showing emotional vulnerabilities such as sadness and risking exclusion. Conclusions: Young people\u2019s emotional wellbeing needs to be further developed and included in the curriculum. It is time for adults to focus on boys\u2019 sadness and depressive emotions, as well as girls\u2019 aggressiveness and frankness rather than their appearance, to push the river of equality forward.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12040502","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]],"date-time":"2025-04-14T09:06:51Z","timestamp":1744621611000},"page":"502","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["\u2018You Should Be Yourself\u2019\u2014Secondary Students\u2019 Descriptions of Social Gender Demands"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3982-1730","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Karin","family":"Bergman Rimbe","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Education, Culture and Communication, M\u00e4lardalen University, 721 23 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Helena","family":"Blomberg","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, M\u00e4lardalen University, 721 23 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5098-8489","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Magnus L.","family":"Elfstr\u00f6m","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, M\u00e4lardalen University, 721 23 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sylvia","family":"Olsson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, M\u00e4lardalen University, 721 23 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3068-5384","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Gunnel","family":"\u00d6stlund","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, M\u00e4lardalen University, 721 23 V\u00e4ster\u00e5s, Sweden"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,14]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2019, July 28). 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