Data Snapshots of Girls’ Lived Experiences & Needs During COVID-19
Research overview:
Alliance for Girls and its team of youth researchers developed a short survey for girls* in California up to age 24 to collect and analyze data at different time points of girls' experiences during the COVID-19 crisis through 2020 and early 2021. These snapshots share California level data, as well as disaggregating data for Alameda, Santa Clara, and San Francisco counties.
Key findings:
Girls and gender expansive youth were significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the government’s response. The COVID-19 pandemic eviscerated an already fragile ecosystem of support for girls. It did not create new inequities, it dramatically worsened existing ones. Throughout the pandemic girls and gender expansive youth experienced higher rates of stress and anxiety, their families experienced economic instability, they struggled with virtual learning, their basic needs were not being met, and they took on additional caregiving in their communities.
Recommendations:
Investigate and meet the gap in period product availability for menstruating youth who do not have access.
Provide gender and culturally responsive services to address the mental health crisis facing marginalized youth, informed by and with a focus on supporting Black girls and gender expansive youth.
Improve virtual and in-person access for girls and gender-expansive youth to gender and culturally responsive services including violence prevention and intervention services, physical activities, and academic support through targeted outreach efforts and a youth-led and interactive online directory or app.
Support both in and out of school girl-serving organization with financial and technical assistanc
