Member's statement: Girlguiding Girls' Attitudes Survey

Member's statement by Ms Connie Egan on 31 March 2025.

MLA

Ms Connie Egan

Party at the time

Alliance Party

Date

31 March 2025

Type

Member's statement

Business

Members' Statements

Heading

Girlguiding Girls' Attitudes Survey

Assembly identifier

Official Report component 4871503

Read the official Assembly record

Text

Last Thursday, I attended the launch of the Girlguiding girls' attitudes survey report alongside the Justice Minister, Naomi Long. The report underlines the fact that:

"Girls face a crisis of confidence in an unequal world".

Girlguiding plays a vital role in the lives of young girls across the UK, giving them a voice and community to ensure that they grow into women who know that they matter. I recently visited Lorne estate, the hub of Girlguiding in Northern Ireland, where I learned more about the brilliant work that it undertakes. There are thousands of groups UK-wide that are run by volunteers, who come every week to inspire and nurture the next generation. I am sure that every woman in the Chamber knows the feeling of being treated differently — being looked at differently, seen differently, and talked to as though they are less than — just because they are a woman. What the report on girls' attitudes encapsulates, however, is how young that feeling can begin. It is startling but, unfortunately, not shocking. It was reported that three in four girls aged 11 to 16 see or experience sexism. That increases to 95% for young women aged 17 to 21.

Some 69% of girls aged seven to 10 feel as though they are expected to behave differently because they are a girl. More than one in five girls aged seven to 10 has seen rude images online, a figure that has doubled since 2021. Half of the girls surveyed feel anxious about their future, with 57% of 11-to 21-year-olds worried about not having a secure income or being able to afford a home. That data reflects the sad reality of what I hear from my young constituents in North Down and across Northern Ireland, and it is why the work of the ending violence against women and girls strategic framework is so vital. Everyone across our society has a role to play in eradicating misogyny and changing the prevalent culture of sexism that exists to this day. It is not all so bleak. When those girls were asked about what they wanted the future to look like, they talked about the regulation of social media companies, protecting nature, curriculum change, more money, better houses and jobs and communities of welcome and acceptance. They talked about a future where equality and equity play a key role in any society. I thank Girlguiding Ulster for inviting me to the report's launch and for undertaking that vital work. We must not lose momentum on tackling violence against women and girls and gender inequality. We must do better for those girls and for girls all around the world who find themselves at risk just because of their gender.

454 words. Text as published by the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Assessment

Not flagged

Jev’s structured answers

Assessed 21 October 2026 at 12:15 UTC by jev-1.13.0 (requested as typesafe/jev) under rubric 2026.10-r9, methodology 1.9.

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