Young Feminist

The Facts

1 in 9

female high school students report having experienced sexual dating violence in a given year, while only

1 in 36

male high school students do.1

Female students are twice as likely to experience teen dating violence than males.2

Based on a study of 481 high schools,

57% of banned articles of clothing are specific to girls

while only

5% of banned clothing is specific to boys.3

Students who are “curvy” are more frequently penalized for dress code violations than others.3

Of the magazines that sexualize children,

85% target girls.4

For many girls, street harassment starts between the ages of

8-14 years old.5

Clearly there is a lot out there coming for teenage girls. For more information and ways you can help battle these issues, see below.

For more information on teen dating violence:

For more information on the sexualization of girls:

For more information on school dress codes:

For more information on catcalling:

More resources:

Everyday Sexism (a share space for your experiences)

How to deal with harassers

A history of young feminism

5 teenage feminists

Sources:

1 “Preventing Teen Dating Violence.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 27 Jan. 2020, http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html.

2 Vagi, Kevin J et al. “Teen Dating Violence (Physical and Sexual) Among US High School Students: Findings From the 2013 National Youth Risk Behavior Survey.” JAMA pediatrics vol. 169,5 (2015): 474-82. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2014.3577.

3 Thomas, Amber. “The Sexualized Messages Dress Codes Are Sending to Students.” The Pudding, Feb. 2019, pudding.cool/2019/02/dress-code-sexualization/.

4 “Report of the APA Task Force on the Sexualization of Girls.” American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association, 2008, www.apa.org/pi/women/programs/girls/report.

5 Cortes, Natalie. “Catcalling Is Not a Compliment.” National Organization for Women, 18 June 2015, now.org/blog/catcalling-is-not-a-compliment/.