Powerful research from the girl-serving space

Our members are constantly breaking the mold with powerful new research and studies that explore the world of girls and gender expansive youth and unearth the myriad of inequities that they are faced with. Studies grounded in both quantitative and qualitative data that highlight girls* lived experiences and make a case for the urgent change needed to ensure that girls* thrive. As girl champions information is our ultimate power. We cannot advocate for the transformation of the systems that harm girls without first presenting accurate data identifying the existing systemic gaps.The studies conducted within our member network are extensive ranging from girls* experience with racism and regressive cultural norms to sexism in various sectors such as sports or education. But it doesn’t fixate on the negatives. Some of our members have equally devoted studies to uplift girls* strengths, spotlighting areas where they have exhibited exceptional leadership.Want to learn about the issues facing girls and gender-expansive youth but don’t know where to start? Here are some reports published by our members with the help of girls*  to help you along;

Local Research

• Through their Eyes: Stories of Reflection, Resistance, and Resilience on Juvenile Incarceration from San Francisco Cis and Trans Young Women & Girls, Trans Young Men & Boys and Gender Expansive Youth, by Young Women’s Freedom Center (2021)
• Raising AAPI Youth Visibility: Findings from a survey with Asian American and Pacific Islander Youth in Oakland, by Asian Health Services, AYPAL, and Banteay Srei (2016)
• The Report on the Status of Women in San Francisco – Executive Summary by the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women (2016)
• The Girls Report by the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women (2012)
• Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California by Mount St. Mary’s College (2015)
• California Park and Recreation Gender Equity in Community Sports Report by Fair Play for Girls in Sports, Coaching Corps, and California Park & Recreation Society (2014)
• The State of Human Trafficking in California, a report by the California Department of Justice (2012)

National Research

Overall Status of Girls

• Justice Doesn’t Trickle Down: How Racialized and Gendered Rules Are Holding Women Back, by the Roosevelt Institute and the Ms. Foundation for Women (2017)
• The State of Girls 2017: Emerging Truths and Troubling Trends, by the Girl Scout Research Institute (2017)

STEM

• Generation STEM Report: What Girls Say About Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math by the Girl Scout Research Institute (2012) – one of the most recent comprehensive surveys of girls in STEM
• The State of Girls in STEM, a report by the National Girls Collaborative Project (2013)
• Gender and Racial Stereotype Endorsement and Implications for STEM Outcomes Among High-Achieving Underrepresented Adolescent Females by Level Playing Field
• Perceived Barriers and Endorsement of Stereotypes Among Adolscent Girls of Color in STEM by Level Playing Field
• Perceived Barriers to Higher Education in STEM among High-Achieving Underrepresented High School Students of Color by Level Playing Field

Education

• National Data on School Discipline by Race and Gender, The Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality’s Initiative on Gender Justice & Opportunity and the RISE Research team at New York University (2017-2018)
• The Schools Girls Deserve, a participatory action research project (PAR) published by Girls for Gender Equity, in collaboration with girls, transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) youth of color in all five boroughs of New York City (2017)
• Let Her Learn: Stopping School Pushout, a set of reports on the intersecting barriers that threaten girls’ educational success by the National Women’s Law Center (2017)
• Girlhood Interrupted: The Erasure of Black Girls’ Childhood by Rebecca Epstein, Jamilia J. Blake and Thalia González (2017)
• Black Girls Matter: Pushed Out, Overpoliced and Underprotected by the African American Policy Forum (2015)
• Gender Equity in Education, a report conducted by the U.S. Department of Education (2012)
• Unlocking Opportunity for African American Girls: A Call to Action for Educational Equity by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund and the National Women’s Law Center (2014)

Safety & Well-Being

• California Child Victims Act by Herman Law (2021)
• Ready to Lead: Leadership Supports and Barriers for Black and Latinx Girls, by Girls Leadership (2020)
• Spotlight on Girls in the Juvenile Justice System by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (2018)
• Gender & Trauma—Somatic Interventions for Girls in Juvenile Justice: Implications for Policy and Practice by Rebecca Epstein and Thalia González at The Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality (2017)
• Mislabeled: The Impact of School Bullying and Discrimination on California Muslim Students by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (2015)
• Title IX: How to Exercise Your Rights & Address Sexual Assault by the National Women’s Law Center (2016)
  • Title IX Requires Schools to Address Sexual Violence
  • How to File a Title IX Sexual Harassment or Assault Complaint with the US Department of Education
  • Actually, You Can Disclose That: Transparency in Sexual Assault Reporting & the Family Educational Records Privacy Act
• The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story by the Ms. Foundation, Human Rights Project for Girls, and Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality (2015)
• Crossing the Line: Sexual Harassment at School (Executive Summary) by the AAUWSF (2011)
• Dating Violence and Gender, a report from FindYouthInfo.gov (2012)
• Coercive Sexual Environments: What MTO Tells Us About Neighborhoods and Sexual Safety by the Urban Institute and Stanford University (2014)
• The Report of the APA Taskforce on the Sexualization of Girls, conducted by the American Psychological Association (2010)

Girls’ Leadership

• Meeting the Moment: Improving EPSDT implementation in California to address growing mental health needs, by the National Center for Youth Law (2020)
• KPMG Women’s Leadership Study: Moving Women Forward into Leadership Roles (2015)
• Running for a Change: Girls and Politics Pulse Poll by the Girl Scout Research Institute (2014)

Other

• Watching Gender: How Stereotypes in Movies and on TV Impact Kids’ Development by Common Sense Media
• Research finds differences in the brains and behavior of girls and boys with autism by UC Davis MIND Institute (2015)
• The Simple Truth About the Gender Pay Gap by AAUW (2015)
• Understanding the Experience of Girls with EBD* in a Gender-Responsive Support Group(2012) *EBD = emotional and behavioral disorders