Girlguiding impact report
Girls’ lives
At Girlguiding we know that girls can do anything. And yet, we know currently that isn’t always the message girls are given.
In our Girls’ Attitudes Survey last year we found that 68% of girls have had to change their everyday behaviour to avoid sexual harassment, it impacts every aspect of their lives from their education, online behaviour and social lives.
The majority of girls and young women aged 11-18 regularly receive comments at school that are toxic and make them feel uncomfortable. And younger girls increasingly feel like they have to behave differently because they're a girl. The proportion of girls who feel less safe as a result of sexism has risen from 1 in 6 to almost 1 in 2.3 Despite these challenges, a significant number of the public believe that women’s equality has gone too far.4
of girls aged 7-10 feel they have to behave differently because they are a girl.
It is unsurprising then that our research also found that only 1 in 4 girls felt confident in their life, and only 1 in 4 feel confident about the future.5 We know the confidence gap between boys and girls starts to become more apparent in adolescence. Research also shows how girls' wellbeing is declining more steeply than boys. These worrying trends demonstrate the importance of organisations like Girlguiding, that aim to boost girls' confidence and wellbeing at a time when they need it most. Our impact report outlines how Girlguiding is empowering girls through fun, friendship, challenge and adventure. By giving them a space just for them, with trusted volunteers, we're supporting their wellbeing and boosting their confidence to inspire them to discover the best in themselves.
3 Girls' Attitudes Survey 2025, A girl's world: sexism, misogyny and the power of sisterhood, sample size: 2640, Girlguiding, 2025
4 Global Attitudes Towards Women's Leadership, King's Global Institute for Women's Leadership et al, 2024
5 Girls’ Attitudes Survey: girls face a crisis of confidence in an unequal world, sample size: 2734, Girlguiding, 2024
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