‘Shocking’ gender inequality problem laid bare in new Girlguiding research
● 43% of girls express fears over career prospects
Over three quarters of girls and young women in Scotland believe they are treated differently on account of their gender, with nearly half fearful that their chances of becoming a leader in their chosen career will be hampered because they are female, according to new research.
In what represents a concerning insight into continuing gender inequality in Scotland, more than one in three girls and women aged between 13 and 25 told Girlguiding Scotland they had learnt little or nothing about consent in their personal or social education.
The charity, whose stated aim is to empower and inspire young women “to be anything they want to be,” said the findings showed how gender inequality casts a “long shadow” over the day to day lives of girls and young women.
Louise Macdonald, chair of Scottish Government’s advisory council on women and girls, described the responses as “shocking.” and called for urgent action.
The charity said its survey, completed by 540 girls and women aged between seven and 25, found that while a new generation was aiming high for their future, they remained acutely aware of the challenges in their way.
Some 77 per cent of those aged between 12 and 25 said they were treated differently due to their sex, with well over a quarter (22 per cent) describing such treatment as a regular occurrence.
Close to half of the respondents
(43 per cent) said they expected getting a well-paid job to be harder because they are female.
While 62 per cent said they would like to be a leader in their chosen career, nearly one in two (45 per cent) said they that goal would be made more difficult to achieve simply because they are female.
The survey also suggested that girls’ optimism appears to decline as they get older – while 61 per cent of girls age seven to 11 strongly agree that they can do anything a boy can
do, this dropped to just 45 per cent among 12 to 17-year-olds, and fell further 39 per cent among those in the 18 to 25 age range.
Ms Macdonald, who is also the chief executive of Young Scot, the national youth information and citizenship charity, said: “It is shocking that in 2018, nearly eight in 10 girls in Scotland say they experience gender inequality in their day to day lives, that nearly one in two girls feel they would have more freedom if they were a boy, and that 45 per cent of girls say becoming a leader in their careers will be harder because they are female.
“These figures, and the many others like them in this research, show that, for all our progress, we still have a long way to go to ensure girls in Scotland can feel truly equal in their everyday lives and future careers.”
She added: “I hope these findings will challenge decisionmakers, educators, employers and everyone with a stake in girls’ lives to play their part in delivering an equal future for girls as a matter of urgency.”
Hannah Brisbane, Girlguiding Scotland’s lead volunteer for voice, said “As our new research shows, gender inequality casts a long shadow over girls’ everyday lives and their views of the future.”
The survey, which covered both members and nonmembers of Girlguiding Scotland, was commissioned by Girlguiding Scotland and carried out by the Childwise organisation.
“These figures, and the many others like them in this research, show that, for all our progress, we still have a long way to go”
LOUISE MACDONALD