Final word
We’re failing girls when we fail to act on sexism and sexual harassment
Fact file
Rose Caldwell is chief executive of Plan International UK, a leading children’s charity which works to advance gender equality for girls in over 75 countries. “IN my school there’s a lot of boys who don’t really know how to treat girls. A lot of boys in my year talk about girls like an object, about the way they look; if they’ve got a big bum or big features, stuff like that.” Tayibah, 13, Birmingham. This is a typical response we hear when asking girls in the UK about their experience of school, and sadly, it is not surprising to us. While girls continue to outperform boys in educational attainment, they are held back from fulfilling their potential by issues in school, such as sexual harassment and gendered subject choices. School policies unfairly impact girls The harassment doesn’t stop when girls leave the classroom – two in three girls and young women report experiencing harassment in a public place, and of those, 35 per cent experience it while wearing school uniform. What’s more, girls tell us they feel singled out by school policies that unfairly impact them, such as strict uniform rules or not being able to use the toilet during class when they are menstruating. As International Women’s Day approaches on 8 March, it’s extremely saddening that girls still feel disempowered and unable to realise their rights, not just in school, but in many aspects of life across the UK. We know this because we surveyed more 50
than 1,000 girls aged 14-21 for our State of Girls Rights in the UK 2020 report, where we found that 60 per cent of girls say males are still treated better than females – girls noticed this in the media, at school, and even at home. Society needs a makeover In the in-depth interviews we conducted with girls for the report, they told us how sometimes their schools’ responses to harassment and inequality place the burden on them; including having their phones taken away if they are sent inappropriate pictures, being told to leave school if they don’t want to see their abuser, or being sent out of the classroom for wearing leggings. However, many girls also talked about the importance of pastoral support from school staff, including librarians and teachers, in helping them. We know that teachers do truly incredible work, within an increasingly pressurised environment. Sadly, many teachers report that they are too overstretched and under-resourced to provide this vital support. In England and Wales, one study found that 27 per cent of secondary school teachers say they would not feel confident tackling a sexist incident if they experienced or witnessed it in school. Only one in five secondary school teachers have received training in recognising and tackling sexism as part of their initial teacher education.
educate Your magazine from the National Education Union (NEU)
The findings in our report should serve as a wake-up call for politicians and leaders across the UK. From textbooks, sports and subject choice, to school uniforms and the prevalence of gender-based violence, the Government needs to commit to supporting schools to take action on gender inequality in schools. Zero-tolerance approach to sexism In order to do this, teachers need to be better equipped and informed, their resources must be modernised, and governing bodies, schools and teachers must be empowered to take a zero-tolerance approach to sexism and sexual harassment. When we fail to listen to girls, we fail both them and society as a whole. We stop them from achieving their true potential. This simply cannot continue. On International Women’s Day, let’s make sure we listen to girls.
Find out more at plan-uk.org/girlsrights2020
n This year, for International Women’s Day, the NEU is celebrating women in the union and the work so many women educators do to promote gender equality in education – from tackling gender stereotypes to promoting the rights of women staff. Visit neu.org.uk/event/ international-womens-day
