State of the Girl Report
The Girl Coalition of Indiana, inspired by the Girl Scouts, in partnership with Indiana Youth Institute has released the 2023 Indiana Girl Report. The report is the very first of its kind and was developed through qualitative and quantitative research to provide insight into critical challenges girls are experiencing and the variances across the state. Girl Scouts of Western Ohio is a participating council in the Girl Coalition of Indiana, and through that work, we have new research to share with you about the state of girls.
The report's findings create a foundation for understanding key issues impacting the quality of life for girls. It also offers a roadmap for cultivating supportive environments and developing resources for girls to help them navigate through topics often considered taboo including mental health, sexual dating violence, gender bias, bullying, and more.
Key findings from the research include:
1. Among 7th to 12th grade girls in Indiana, 47.1% experienced depression in 2022 and nearly 1 in 4 girls seriously considered suicide.
2. Girls in Indiana are more likely than boys to become victims of bullying. They are twice as likely to become victims of traditional bullying and three times as likely to become victims of cyberbullying compared to boys.
3. From 2015 to 2021, the rate of physical and sexual dating violence among girls in Indiana has increased, while the prevalence among boys has decreased. 17% of high school girls reported having experienced sexual dating violence in 2021 – 5x the rate of boys.
4. In 2021, girls were admitted for inpatient care at a hospital more than three times the rate of boys.
“There is a stark discrepancy between the mental and physical health of Indiana’s girls and their male counterparts,” said Girl Coalition of Indiana Executive Director Mackenzie Pickerrell.
“This report shines a light on what many of us knew already, our girls are not okay, and we must act now to remove the barriers that exist throughout Indiana which prevent our girls from thriving. Our plan is to share this research with families, educators, youth-development providers, and influencers, providers as a means for arming them with pathways for having courageous conversations at home, developing programming, and passing legislation that will improve the quality of life for all girls in Indiana.”
