Two-thirds of girls and young women have changed their everyday behaviour to try to stay safe, with 31% avoiding taking public transport alone, according to a survey by the Girlguiding charity.
The research found that 56% of girls and young women in the UK aged between 11 and 21 said they feel unsafe travelling by themselves, up from 45% in 2022, while almost one-third said they avoided public transport altogether.
Girlguiding’s annual Girls’ Attitudes survey found that 86% of respondents have avoided going out after dark to stay safe, with girls of colour less likely to step out.
Overall, 68% said they changed their everyday behaviour to avoid being sexually harassed, with one in three (32%) altering what they wear. More than a quarter (28%) of the 2,640 respondents said they had avoided places where they used to socialise and one in 10 (12%) changed where they exercise.
Girls with disabilities felt particularly unsafe travelling, with only 17% saying they felt secure on public transport, compared with 33% of non-disabled girls.
The survey also explored misogyny in schools. More than half of girls aged 11 to 18 (58%) said they had experienced male pupils making toxic comments while 32% reported seeing a teacher or member of staff subjected to sexist or misogynistic abuse.
One in 10 girls aged 11 to 16 said they do not feel safe at school, a figure that rises to more than two in 10 for LGBTQ+ girls and three in 10 for disabled girls. One in 10 also said they had intentionally missed school to lower the risk of sexual harassment – a figure that doubles for girls with disabilities (21%) and rises to 18% for neurodivergent and LGBTQ+ girls.
Among the younger pupils, a third of girls aged seven to 10 (32%) said they had experienced a comment from boys at school that made them feel uncomfortable while, 17% said boys at school regularly comment on the bodies of girls and young women.
Girlguiding called on local authorities and schools to publish plans to tackle misogyny in their communities and for politicians in charge of public transport to engage with girls on their fears and make services safer.
Amanda Azeez, the acting chief executive of Girlguiding, said: “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.
“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.
“To ensure girls’ safety and to tackle this issue, action needs to happen now, starting with listening to and involving girls and young women in how to address this. Girls should be able to rely on decision-makers to keep them safe, as well as their peers for support.”
The research also highlighted how girls and young women have supported each other, with 70% of 11- to 21-year-olds saying they have stood up for other girls experiencing sexism or misogyny.
