Girls and young women feel excluded from politics, new research says

New research from Plan International, an independent development and humanitarian organization that advances children’s rights and equality for girls, reveals that girls and young women consistently feel excluded from politics – globally and in the Philippines.

In its 2022 State of the World’s Girls Report, “Equal Power Now”, while girls and young women care about politics and believe that meaningful participation is important, they continue to face a host of barriers in their political participation.

The report stated that girls and young women in the Philippines see their political participation as important for placing emphasis on social justice, education and health in political decisions (65%), and for improving the situation of girls and young women in society (57%).

It has also identified the challenges they perceive when they try to participate, such as: feeling like politics isn’t open to them (27%); being afraid to speak out about their views (26%); thinking that politicians would not listen to them (26%); and not understanding enough about political issues (20%).

In terms of participation, voting was one of the more common participation activities (49%). However, it is only ranked third compared to following politics on social media (54%) and in different media (50%). The lowest ranked participation activity of girls in the Philippines is running for political office at any level (8%).

With these findings, Plan International Philippines emphasizes its commitment to work with government, powerholders, and organizations to foster, champion, and support safe, inclusive, and sustainable pathways to participation for girls and young women.

The organization also stands with girls calling on leaders and power holders to: institutionalize meaningful and safe participation of girls and their groups, ensure access to diverse and inclusive pathways to participation, and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to violence towards the political participation of girl activists.

Country Director Ana Maria Locsin said, “The role of girls and young women in shaping the development of our local and global communities can no longer be denied. With local and global issues surrounding politics, health, education, and social welfare becoming increasingly complex, we need now more than ever for girls’ voices to be duly recognized in formal decision-making spaces, as is their right.”

The study surveyed almost 29,000 girls and young women ages 15 – 24 from 29 countries across different regions, income levels and civic contexts. Among these were 1,000 girls and young women from the Philippines.

The aim of the global study was to explore and understand girls’ and young women’s attitudes towards, and experiences of, political and civic participation and institutions, across a diverse range of contexts.

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