Survey Snapshot: Behavioural Shifts Among Girls and Young Women
Recent research by Girlguiding (2025) reveals that 68 % of girls aged 11 to 21 report having altered their daily routines to reduce the risk of sexual harassment or assault. Key changes include:
- 31 % avoid taking public transport alone
- 86 % avoid going out after dark
- 32 % change what they wear
- 28 % avoid places they used to socialise
- 12 % change where they exercise
These findings underscore an urgent reality: girls are internalising constraints to their mobility, expression, and freedom.
Public Transport: A Site of Risk and Restriction
Rising Fear, Declining Access
Over half (56 %) of girls aged 11–21 say they feel unsafe using public transport alone—a rise from 45 % in 2022. Meanwhile, nearly one in three specifically avoid using it altogether.
The impact is magnified for girls with disabilities: only 17 % report feeling secure on public transport, compared with 33 % of non-disabled girls.
Implications
- Restricted access to social, educational, and extra-curricular opportunities
- Increased reliance on more costly or unreliable modes of transportation
- Heightened isolation, especially in rural or poorly served areas
Transport providers, urban planners, and police services must coordinate to transform public transport into a space perceived as safe—not fearful.
Technology and Community Tools: SafeKab and SafeWalk
Alongside systemic reforms, many young women are turning to safety-focused technology as an immediate support. Apps such as SafeKab provide fixed-fare taxi bookings with in-app safety features designed to reassure passengers, while SafeWalk allows friends or family to track journeys in real time. By combining trusted transport with digital oversight, these tools help reduce anxiety about travelling alone, especially at night or when using unfamiliar routes. While they do not replace the need for broader cultural and structural change, they represent practical steps girls can use today to reclaim a sense of safety and independence in their daily lives.
Nighttime Safety: Avoidance Becomes Habit
A striking 86 % of respondents say they avoid going out after dark to stay safe; nearly half (48 %) say they never go out in the dark.
Girls of colour are more likely to avoid nighttime outings (56 %) than white girls (45 %).
Consequences
- Social life, extracurriculars and physical activity shrink to daytime hours
- Seasonal shifts (e.g., winter’s shorter days) further constrain mobility
- Mental health burden: feeling confined, unsafe, monitored
School Environments: Harassment, Silence, and Absenteeism
Prevalence of Misogyny and Gendered Comments
At school, the patterns persist:
- 58 % of girls aged 11–18 say they have heard male pupils make toxic or sexist comments
- 32 % report witnessing staff or teachers subjected to sexist behaviour
- Among younger girls (ages 7–10), 32 % have received comments from boys that made them uncomfortable; 17 % say boys regularly comment on girls’ bodies
Additionally, 24 % say they have reduced how much they speak in class out of fear.
Safety Concerns in School Spaces
- 10 % of girls aged 11–16 say they do not feel safe at school
- That figure rises to over 20 % for LGBTQ+ girls, and 30 % for girls with disabilities
- 1 in 10 have skipped school to avoid harassment—21 % for disabled girls; 18 % for neurodivergent or LGBTQ+ girls
These figures point to schools as underacknowledged arenas of constraint, where girls often self-censor, avoid presence, or retreat to preserve safety.
The Cost of Self-Surveillance: Identity, Expression, and Mental Health
Identity and Appearance
One in three girls (32 %) say they change what they wear to reduce unwanted attention.
This “clothing adjustment” is a form of constant risk calculation—girls moderate their external presentation as a strategy for safety, conceding layers of freedom and creativity.
Silence, Self-Censoring, and Confidence
Many girls report internal pressure to downplay brilliance or assertiveness—especially in mixed company.
This dynamic limits voice, participation, leadership, and ultimately professional trajectories.
Mental Health Effects
Persistent hypervigilance, fear, and behaviour restriction take psychological tolls. Girls report diminished confidence, anxiety, and lower sense of belonging.
Disadvantaged groups (disabled, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+) bear compounded pressures.
Sisterhood in Action: Collective Resistance and Support
Despite pervasive constraints, girls regularly support each other:
- 70 % of girls aged 11–21 say they stood up for another girl experiencing sexism or misogyny
- 41 % said they intervened in overt incidents, 36 % offered companionship in uncomfortable moments
This culture of solidarity is vital—but it cannot substitute for structural reform.
At-Risk Groups: Intersectional Disadvantages
Girls with Disabilities
They report lowest sense of safety in public and at school; more likely to skip school; more likely to feel unprotected.
LGBTQ+ and Neurodivergent Girls
They experience higher rates of insecurity, harassment, and avoidance behaviours.
Girls of Colour
Higher likelihood of restricting mobility (e.g. not going out after dark) and feeling unsafe in public environments.
These intersectional pressures demand nuanced, inclusive policy solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
Structural Reform is the driver—without changes in policy, enforcement, education, culture, the downstream effects are limited.
Pillars of Reform
- Public Transport Safety Initiatives
- Expand models like Project Guardian (London) to other regions
- Real-time reporting systems, blue light zones, visible staff
- Collaboration with girls to co-design safe routes and protective features
- Transforming School Cultures
- Mandatory, open curricula on consent, sexism, bystander training
- Transparent reporting, swift disciplinary action
- Deconstruction of stereotypes; encouragement of assertiveness
- Strengthened Legal & Policing Response
- Enforce laws on public harassment
- Improve response times, trust and accessibility for young complainants
- Embed safeguarding units in institutions relevant to girls
- Community Engagement & Girl Participation
- Girl-led advisory panels for local authorities, transport agencies, schools
- Opportunities for continuous feedback loops
- Public campaigns reframing harassment as social harm
- Mental Health Support & Capacity Building
- Accessible counselling and peer support
- Empowerment programs (e.g. body-confidence, leadership)
- Safe spaces and networks for marginalized girls
Call to Action: From Words to Sustained Change
We assert that:
- Girls should not have to alter their behaviour to feel safe
- Safety should be guaranteed—not earned
- Decision-makers must listen to girls’ lived experience and centre their voices
Only through intentional, intersectional, system-wide reforms can we dismantle the invisible barriers that confine girls’ everyday lives. Let us push for change that empowers movement, expression, confidence, and freedom.
