October 11 is International Day of the Girl and just in time, a brand-new survey commissioned by Être with YPulse reveals what girls need to be confident and succeed. According to the survey, girls can benefit from having a mentor as early as middle school.
Être and YPulse surveyed over 1,000 girls nationwide ages 13-18 and found that at age 14, girls are over 20 percent more confident than they were five years ago. But sadly, their confidence begins to steadily decline after age 15. Eighty-six percent of girls surveyed said they would feel more confident if they had a mentor, while 90 percent of girls in STEM said they would reach for a higher goal if they had a mentor to guide them.
Here are some more interesting stats from the study:
- 93% of girls believe a mentor would be helpful for their future in finance
- 86% say this for STEM
- 69% say this for sports
When it comes to how girls want to meet a potential mentor, social media was a popular choice:
- 71% would send a mentor a DM
When describing themselves girls say:
- Smart: 42% at age 13 – drops to 28% by age 18
- Creative: 43% at age 13 – drops to 32% by age 18
- Happy: 57% at age 13 – drops to 44% by age 18
What this tells us is that mentors matter to girls and the sooner they find them, the better. The confidence middle school girls exhibit in the classroom will translate to the way their view themselves in their adult lives, from careers to relationships.
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