For all girls
What girls are asking for
Girls are telling us they’re worried about their safety, their mental health, the cost of living and the environment. We’re calling for decision makers to listen to girls and young women.
Girls’ safety
52% of girls and young women aged 11-21 don’t think sexist comments are dealt with seriously in schools.3 69% of girls said boys have made comments about girls and women that they’d describe as ‘toxic’. More than 2 in 5 girls (44%) revealed boys at their school have made comments about girls and women that have made them feel scared for their safety. With the rise of sexism in schools, online misogyny and gender-based violence, girls don’t feel safe.
1. Girls are asking for new and inclusive Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) resources in schools, to tackle sexism and misogyny and encourage better, healthier relationships.
We were proud to play a big role in getting the Online Safety Act passed, and we want to see work continue to keep girls safe online. 56% of girls say they’d feel safer online if there were more ‘real’ images and fewer edited images.4
2. We’re asking the next government to make it a requirement for advertisers and brands, including influencers, to make it clear when filters, editing software or artificial intelligence have been used to change or create an image.
Put girls’ voices at the heart of decision making
Girls don’t feel safe, whether they’re on the street, online or at school.5 When they speak up, they feel they’re not listened to. That needs to change. We need to put women and girls' voices at the heart of decision making.
3. Equal representation is vital to a healthy democracy. That’s why we’re calling for the next Prime Minister to appoint a Secretary of State for Women and Equalities, and for the UK’s major political parties to have a frontbench that’s at least 50% women.
Access to sports
1.3 million teenage girls who once considered themselves as ‘sporty’ are dropping out of exercise and activity after primary school.6 That’s more than the population of Birmingham. When asked in 2019, 62% of girls aged 11-21 said they didn’t have access to an outdoor facility that felt safe to use.7 Girls need action to level the playing field.
4. That’s why we’re asking the next government to close the gender play gap, so girls have equal access to sports and high-quality sporting facilities.
Mental health crisis
We’re in the middle of a mental health crisis for girls, with over a quarter of 16-year-old girls in England contacting public mental health services in 2022. Mental health conditions are more than twice as common in young women than young men.8 Even more worryingly, it’s been reported that girls and young women under the age of 24 have seen the largest increase in suicide rates since reporting began in 1981.9
5. Girls are calling for their mental health needs to be addressed and for urgent action to solve the mental health crisis. They want to be able to access the help they need when they need it.
Studies have also found that 80% of girls hide signs of distress from teachers and education staff – compared to 60% pre-pandemic.10 For those who speak up, a fifth are told they’re being ‘dramatic’, and a quarter told their issues are ‘hormonal’. That’s not right.
6. Girls spend most of their time in the classroom. We’re calling for a mental health professional to be available in every school, with the right training to ensure girls’ needs are spotted and taken seriously.
Cost of living
Girls and women often feel the effects of the cost-of-living crisis more than boys and men. That’s why Girlguiding is calling on the next government to help girls afford the essentials, and make sure they grow up in a more equal world.
Girlguiding’s 2023 Girls’ Attitudes Survey found that 75% of girls aged 7-21 are worried about the increased cost of living. 1 in 5 girls (21%) aged 11-21 worry about not having enough money for period products or period pain medication.11 Despite progress like scrapping the tampon tax and a trial of free period products in England’s schools, girls are still worried about this most basic of needs.
7. Girls want the next government to ensure that every school and college, across the UK, has period products available throughout the school day, free of charge.
It’s been more than 50 years since the first Equal Pay Act, and girls entering the workforce today are still paid, on average, less than men.12 The gap is even wider for those on low pay13. At its core, the gap between the pay of men and women is unfair, and we want every girl to grow up without limits on her ambition.
8. That’s why we’re calling for a national recommitment to ending the gender pay gap, so that earning potential is not determined by gender.
The environment
Climate change is an incredibly important issue for girls.14 Our 2023 Girls’ Attitudes Survey shows that 62% of 7-21 year olds worry about climate change and threats to the environment some or all of the time.15
Girls are concerned about the impact of fast fashion on the environment. Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) girls and young women aged 11 to 21 feel pressured to buy the latest clothes and keep on top of fashion trends. However, half (50%) of girls and young women aged 11 to 16 think fast fashion has a negative effect on the environment, rising to 63% for those aged 17 to 21.16 88% of girls aged 11-21 believe clothing companies should be doing more to produce clothes in an environmentally friendly way.
9. Girls want to see immediate action to reduce the environmental impact of fast fashion, and help everyone better understand where their clothes come from.
Being outdoors and in nature helps 8 in 10 girls feel happy, but a quarter don’t feel they have access to outdoor spaces such as parks.17 As a result, almost 1 in 6 hardly ever spend time in nature. Girls, particularly those in the most deprived areas, also want a more conscious effort from decision makers to include nature, particularly wildlife and wildflowers, in the design of public spaces.18
10. Girls want the next government to make sure all girls have equal and safe access to the outdoors, and to involve girls in designing public spaces like parks, so they feel welcome and included.
References
1 Girlguiding Impact Report 2023. 2 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 3 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 4 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 5 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 6 Women in Sport, Big Sister: breaking down barriers to activity for teen girls 2023. 7 Girls’ Attitude Survey 2019. 8 NHS Mental Health of Children & Young People Surveys 2023. 9 Office of National Statistics 2022. 10 STEER Education: Young People’s Mental Health in the UK 2022. 11 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 12 Gender pay gap in the UK - Office for National Statistics (ons.gov.uk). 13 Living Wage Foundation 2023. 14 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 15 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023. 16 Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2020. 17 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2023 and Girls’ Attitudes Survey 2019. 18 Greenspace & Us Part 2 A community insights co-production project with teenage girls to understand their needs for more inclusive and accessible greenspace (website-files.com).
girlguiding.org.uk © Girlguiding 2023.
Registered charity number 306016.