17-year-old girl from Oxfordshire says ‘we should have to feel scared’
A survey finds nearly half of girls feel unsafe, a figure that's more than doubled over the past decade
A study by Girlguiding found sexism, misogyny and loneliness are growing issues impacting the confidence among girls, starting as young as 7 years old.
Girls feeling unsafe due to sexism has more than doubled over the past decade as nearly half of reported feeling unsafe, the survey of more than 2,000 girls and young women found.
'It shouldn't be normal'
Hannah, a 17-year-old who advocates for Girlguiding from Abingdon said: “We shouldn’t have to feel scared going out and I shouldn’t feel that if I want to walk my dog in the evening that my dad has to come with me.
“Often my dad will walk me to my friend’s house, wherever it is. That’s just normal, but it shouldn’t be normal and that’s the problem.”
‘Fear of missing out (Fomo)’ is also keeping more than half of 11- to 21-year-olds on social media apps such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat despite and more than a third say they are seeing unwanted sexual images and nearly one in five say they have been stalked online.
Girlguiding says “Technology is amplifying the issue” as 59% of girls are now worried about the potential for AI to create fake images of them or impersonate them online.
Hannah has taken a break from social media, and said: “Having that time, not scrolling on your phone really helps out and having that time to unwind without endlessly doom scrolling.
“You can read a book, do some baking, or just do something where you can be yourself”.
'There are rays of hope'
The survey also finds that three in four girls (75%) aged between 7 and 21 feel unconfident about their future because of the beauty standards, sexism and misogyny they face.
Angela Salt, CEO of Girlguiding said: “It’s devastating to see girls feel less confident about themselves and their futures. Sexism continues to be pervasive, leaving many girls feeling vulnerable and unsafe.
“We’re glad to see the Government is taking rising levels of misogyny seriously. Now it's been acknowledged as a problem, we are determined to make sure the voices of girls are heard as part of the solution.
“Even in tough times, there are rays of hope. Girls may feel anxious about their futures, but they also remain hopeful and curious. Our recent impact report has shown that girls in Girlguiding are up to 23% more confident than girls in UK on average, thriving in a space where they can be themselves, have fun, make friends and try new things without many of the pressures girls face in today’s world."