London, Aug 9 : Girls in the UK should be taught feminism at school in a bid to stop them from being too negative about their own sexuality, says a leading academic.

According to Dr Jessica Ringrose, a lecturer in the sociology of gender at London''s Institute of Education, girls should learn about strong female role models and gender equality to stop from them being disrespectful to each other.

In a study, Ringrose said that it has been found that girls often used sexualized language, calling each other "whore" or "slut", and boasted about being good at sex. Also, they felt that "everything was at stake" if they did not appear sexy or feminine towards boys.

To combat this, she said space should be found in the curriculum to discuss feminist issues, boosting their self-respect.

She said self-assured female teachers were needed to provide a model of femininity, which contrasted, with that of celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Christina Aguilera.

Instead, figures such as Virginia Woolf, Suffragettes leader Emmeline Pankhurst and even US cartoon character Lisa Simpson should be used as positive role models for young women.

And it was claimed that lessons were also needed to combat inequality, pointing out that women still earn less than men, despite leaving school and university with better grades.

"We need to reinvigorate feminism," Telegraph quoted Ringrose, as saying.

"Teenage girls are struggling to find a positive identity that''s not completely defined by their sexuality. Positive role models can help them find the strength to resist being sexualized by men''s needs.

"Pupils shouldn''t assume that we''ve met every target in gender equality. How, then, do you explain the way popular culture portrays women? We need to find a place in the curriculum to look at violence against women and sexist bullying.

“Girls may do better than boys in tests, but it doesn''t matter how they perform academically, they still don''t get paid as much in the workplace,” she added. (ANI)