Redefining leadership, driving confidence and preparing for the real world
The GDST Girls’ Futures Report spotlights the ambition and aspirations of girls aged 9 to 18, and the barriers that need addressing to support their futures.
The report has been compiled using data from a nationally representative study of girls across state, academy and independent schools as part of GDST’s 150th anniversary and explores the mindset and perspectives of young women on the key issues they face – including confidence, skills, leadership, future of work, and online misinformation.
The research, carried out in conjunction with research agency YouthSight, was drawn from a survey completed by 1,358 girls aged 9-18 from across England and Wales (84% from co-ed schools and 16% from single-sex schools) along with expert insights from a range of prominent voices in the fields of education and equality, including Anna Whitehouse, founder of Mother Pukka and Flex Appeal; Jude Kelly CBE, founder of WOW (Women of the World), and Dr Nihara Krause, Consultant Clinical Psychologist.
Attitudes to leadership and the workplace
Girls have painted a picture of a life where they have control of how work intersects with home and family and where they can lead in a way which prioritises compassion and community.
Future of work
Girls are passionate about taking on roles that they both enjoy (83%). However, they are also pragmatic and understand the importance of job security (79%) and good pay (75%). Three in four girls want to work flexibly, and nine in 10 want to work in an environment that best suits them. Fewer than 20% want to work in an office.
Redefining traditional perceptions of leadership
Few girls see the spoils of traditional leadership such as salary, prestige or power as aspirational but they do prioritise honesty, integrity and resilience as qualities they believe leaders should possess. Girls are twice as likely to say they want to do a job they enjoy than to be rich; they are nearly three times as likely to prioritise being healthy and safe than a leader; and also twice as likely to prioritise being respected than being a leader.
Girls prioritise making a difference
83% of girls in senior school want to do a job that they enjoy and two-thirds want to make a difference to society through their careers. Three quarters believe it is their generation’s responsibility to make the world a better place.
Confidence and perceptions
Our research shows that girls’ confidence seems to dip between the ages of 14 and 18, and does not recover significantly. While girls seem to remain broadly positive about their futures, doubts and perceived barriers seem to cement themselves in teenage years.
Confidence gap
A number of measures revealed girls’ confidence drops by around half between the ages of 14 and 18: 39% of girls feel negative about their future age 18, double the percentage (20%) who feel this at age 14. In addition, the percentage of girls who think it will be easy to get the job they want more than halves between the same ages (with an average of two thirds over all age groups believing it will be hard to get the job they want). Only one-third of girls surveyed say they feel prepared for the future by the time they are 18
Gender barriers
Almost a third of girls nationally between the ages of 9 and 18 have felt unable to participate in certain activities or subjects because of their gender.
Being Real World Ready
Girls have told us that they want to be equipped with practical tools for the future, and they want more financial education. Equally, they want the skills to navigate a world driven by social media, to be able to distinguish fact from fiction and to maintain courteous conversations when polarising views threaten to overtake society’s most sensitive discussions.
Preparing for the adult world
Only 8% of girls in secondary school feel that school fully prepares them for the adult world, although two-thirds believe it prepares them for some aspects. Girls want to be taught more practical skills with only one in 10 girls in senior school saying they felt school had provided adequate guidance around financial education. Only 10% say they learn enough about different ways to earn money, and only 16% about what the working world will be like.
Misinformation
More than half of girls surveyed (56%) say they see fake news online at least once a week but only four in ten know what to do when they see it. And although social media is the most used medium through which they consume their news, only 28% trust what they see on social media.
