THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Tuesday, April 9, 1996                 TAG: 9604090332
SECTION: FRONT                    PAGE: A4   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: NEW YORK                           LENGTH: Medium:   52 lines

GRADES WORRY GIRLS THE MOST, POLL SHOWS BUT AN ANALYSIS SAYS THEY OFTEN DO WELL JUST TO PLEASE OTHERS.

Despite the popular image of teenage girls obsessed with boys - talking about boys, thinking about boys, calling boys, chasing boys, crying over boys - what they are really concerned about is school, according to a survey released Monday.

About three-quarters of girls now in school say their academic progress is what they worry about most, the survey said.

But an analysis of the survey said that girls do well in school, but they often do so only in an effort to please others.

``I think it's important to point that out, because there is a lot of confusion there,'' said Marie Wilson, president of the Ms. Foundation for Women. ``They keep getting better grades while we say they have low self-esteem.''

The survey of 500 girls and 500 boys, by EDK Associates in New York, was commissioned by the foundation and Seventeen magazine.

The girls' motivation to please others shows up again and again in the survey analysis. When it comes to having sex, teenage girls often do so because boys want them to.

Nearly three-quarters of girls, 73 percent, and about half the boys, 53 percent, cited sexual pressure girls receive from their boyfriends as the reason girls have sex.

Of the 67 percent of girls who reported having had sex, more than two-thirds, about 81 percent, said they later regretted it.

``Why don't girls just say no? Girls are taught to avoid conflict and worry about other people's needs and desires more than their own - especially boys,'' said Caroline Miller, editor-in-chief of Seventeen. ``We need to teach them how to stand their ground.''

Despite the number who are sexually active, girls are also concerned about their reputation, according to the survey. Almost half worried about being known as easy.

``Girls are very confused about where they should draw the line,'' Miller said. ``Boys expect and even demand sex, but girls are judged harshly if they acquiesce. It's a no-win situation for girls.''

The survey of 1,000 13- to 21-year-olds, conducted Jan. 22-26 by telephone, has an error margin of 3 percentage points. Respondents came from all regions of the United States. Teenagers are in conflict about the traits they value about themselves and the traits other people note about them. by CNB