Two-thirds of girls and young women in the UK have changed their behaviour to avoid sexual harassment, with over half indicating they don’t feel safe on public transport alone.
The findings come from a new Girlguiding survey, which reveals how sexism, misogyny and harassment affects girls’ everyday lives.
More than two in three girls aged 11-21 say they had supported another girl who may have experienced sexism or misogyny. One in three have changed what they wear and 28 per cent of girls have avoided places where they used to socialise or spend time.
Nearly one quarter of girls say they had stopped or reduced how much they speak in class in fear of abuse and one in 10 have changed where they exercise.
Over half (56 per cent) of girls and young women aged 11-21 say they don’t feel safe on public transport on their own – a figure which has risen from 45 per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, 31 per cent of girls say they have avoided travelling on public transport alone altogether.
“Although a lot of progress has been made in creating an equal world, reading these stark findings makes us realise that in some areas, like the treatment and behaviour that girls’ face, things sadly haven’t changed at all,” said Acting CEO of Girlguiding Amanda Azeez.
“Girls are not being treated equally and are consistently made to feel like they’re not enough. This is not only affecting their mental health but stopping them from being themselves.”
In schools, one in 10 girls aged 11-16 said they don’t feel safe at school. This figure rises to more than two in 10 for LGBTQ+ girls and three in 10 for disabled girls.
Sadly, one in 10 girls had intentionally missed school to reduce the risk of experiencing sexual harassment. And 58 per cent of girls aged 11-18 have experienced boys at their school making comments they would describe as ‘toxic’. One in three girls have also seen a teacher be on the receiving end of sexist comments or abuse.
“More than half of girls don’t feel safe on public transport and have faced toxic comments from boys at school. There’s more than enough evidence of how widespread this issue is, and it’s time we were taken seriously,” said Girlguiding advocate, Hilary.
“I’ll never forget being catcalled for the first time at 11 years old then hearing the men laugh when my friends reacted fearfully, or hearing my sisters share atrocities they’d experienced on trains, or my friends share the comments they’d heard from boys at school.
“Girls and young women say they have stood up for other girls’ experiencing sexism or misogyny – which is a great testament to the strength of our solidarity, but girls still shouldn’t have to feel pressure to change their behaviour – society needs to shift. That’s why we’re calling on decision makers to do more and make it clear there is no place for misogyny in society.”
Girlguiding said there is an urgent need to take action to improve the situation for girls and young women in the UK.
Notably, girls indicated they want to see politicians to do more to address sexism and misogyny. Seventy per cent of girls aged 11-21 say they don’t think politicians are doing enough to tackle it.
Girlguiding is calling on politicians to sign its ‘commitment to girls’ pledge.