Girlguiding has published the findings of its annual survey on the everyday lives of girls in the UK. The 17th Girls’ attitudes survey captures the views of 2,500 girls and young women with a focus on sexism and self-protection, misogyny in schools, and mental health and wellbeing. Findings include: in the past year, 68% of girls and young women aged 11-21 reported changing their everyday behaviour to avoid sexual harassment and 10% of girls aged 11-16 said they had missed school to avoid sexual harassment. The report also highlights that a vast range of factors, from social media to appearance pressures, are impacting girls’ mental health, with the number of 7- to 10-year-olds reporting feeling sad most days or every day rising from 10% in 2015 to 26% in 2025. The report calls on politicians to do more to tackle inequality and to ensure more discussion and education in schools about the impact of sexism and misogyny.
Read the news story: Two thirds of girls change their everyday behaviour to avoid sexual harassment
Read the report: A snapshot of girls’ and young women’s lives
Source: Girlguiding
Date published: 23 September 2025
