Attitudes survey reveals lack of self esteem because of sexism and shaming

Sexism, misogyny, concerns around safety and loneliness are fuelling the confidence crisis facing girls in the UK, according to Girlguiding’s latest Girls’ Attitudes Survey.

Girlguiding’s annual Girls’ Attitudes Survey provides insight into how girls feel about their everyday lives and the issues they care about. This year, the research reveals the devastating impact that mounting societal pressures and misogyny is having on girls, their confidence and outlook on their futures.

These pressures are being felt by girls younger than ever before, with half of girls (50%) aged 7-21 years old revealing they feel anxious about their futures, and only one in four feel very confident in their life.  

Girls are reporting concerningly low levels of confidence and also say that sexism and harassment affect them now more than ever.  

Some 59% of 13-21-year-olds have seen or experienced sexual harassment, and 85% of girls aged 11-21 say they experience sexism in their daily lives, from sexist comments (53%) to when they’re online (73%).

This appears to be having a knock-on effect on girls’ sense of safety, with almost half of girls (47%) aged 11-21 revealing sexism and misogyny makes them feel less safe, more than double the number of girls who reported feeling this way ten years ago (up from 17%). And 41% of girls also said that sexism makes them feel less confident, up from 32% in 2014.

The survey also found that girls as young as seven increasingly feel they have to look and behave in a certain way. More than two out of three girls aged 7-10 years old feel they are expected to behave or think differently to boys their age (69%, an increase of 10% since 2014).

Jiya, 17, Girlguiding advocate said: “In my daily life, I see how the constant pressure to meet unrealistic beauty standards and the normalisation of sexism leaves girls feeling vulnerable and unsupported. Being online all the time amplifies this.  

“While we're ‘more connected’, we're also more exposed to judgment and comparison - through body shaming, sexist jokes, online harassment, and objectification. This fuels loneliness and erodes our confidence, which only makes it harder to feel positive about the future.”  

Sexism is just one of the many issues troubling girls, the survey found, particularly when considering their experiences online. According to girls, 77% of 7–21-year-olds have experienced an online harm in the last year, and incidents of cyber-stalking, seeing unwanted sexual images and individuals pretending to be someone they’re not online have all risen in the last three years.  

Cyber-stalking has increased by 6% (17% vs 11%) for girls aged 11-21, with almost 1 in 5 girls now saying they’ve experienced some form of it. Seeing unwanted sexual images is up 9% (35% vs 26% of 11-21s), and individuals pretending to be someone they’re not online is up 10% (38% vs 28% of 7-21s). Even girls as young as 7 (aged 7-10) have said they’ve seen ‘rude images’ online, which has doubled in just 3 years (22% vs 11%). Disabled girls of this age are even more likely to say they’ve seen rude images online (41% vs 19%).

Girls are also reporting that they’re feeling worried about the future of the internet in general, with concerns about AI and their safety. Over half of girls (59% of 11–21-year-olds) say they feel concerned that AI may be used to create fake images of them and impersonate them online. To help address these and other online concerns, girls aged 11-21 would like reports to be taken more seriously by online platforms (48%), and more action taken to deal with the violence and abuse that women experience online (46%).

Despite their negative experiences online, over half (57%) of 11–21-year-olds say they feel reluctant to take a break from social media in fear of ‘missing out’. But regardless of this pressure to be constantly online, just one in three (37%) girls aged 11-21 feel they actually have strong connections online, down 7% in four years.

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.  

“But 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."

The organisation said it is calling on UK decision makers to take the concerns of girls and young women seriously. “Girlguiding would like to see new and inclusive Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) resources in schools, to tackle sexism and misogyny and encourage better, healthier relationships,” it said in a statement.