The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK
From Lincolnshire to London, girls are angry and frustrated about the state of equality and girls’ rights.
The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK
From Lincolnshire to London, girls are angry and frustrated about the state of equality and girls’ rights.
Girls in the UK are telling us loud and clear: they are not experiencing the progress on gender equality they were promised. It remains tough to be a girl wherever you live. But as our report shows, geography still matters, and some places are even tougher than others.
Our research shows that girls don’t feel safe, in public or online, and face relentless pressure to look and act a certain way. They feel unprepared by their education, worried for future job prospects and scared by a rising culture of misogyny.
We cannot let another generation of girls go without realising equality. Together with girls, we can achieve gender equality for this generation.
of girls and young women said expectations about how they should act, and what they should be, hold them back in life.
of girls and young women said they are anxious about their future.
of girls and young women do not feel “completely safe” in public places.
*From a survey of nearly 3,000 girls and young women aged 12 to 21 and more information and methodology can be found in the main report.
Girls' lives in your area
Where you live fundamentally affects your life chances. The support your community can provide, and the local services you can draw on, can impact your quality of life and help or hinder access to your rights.
Do you know how tough it is to be a girl where you live? With our online tool, you can search by postcode or council and learn about the reality of growing up as a girl in your area, and the injustices girls face every day.
"Sometimes people look at me and say, 'you can't do these things just because you're a girl.' Which I have experienced my whole life.” says Tilly, 13.
Tilly and her peers Evie, 14, and Ella, 15, live in Blackpool. They feel the effects of gender inequality in their daily lives.
“A lot of the time, women of lower or working class will be disrespected, especially in the north, which is where we live, and so it impacts us” explains Evie, 14.
“There should be more support for young women. I feel like, especially in the North West, we don't really have that much of a voice.” adds Ella, 15.
The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK 2024 was the biggest ever exercise in listening to girls’ voices ever conducted by Plan International in the UK.
We spoke to over 3,000 girls and young women through surveys, interviews and workshops. Girls from across the UK created art, videos, poems, zines and more to explore their feelings about the issues they face growing up a girl. This is showcased in this behind the scenes video from members of Gyros youth group in Great Yarmouth, created in partnership with Media Education and the University of Dundee.