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Girls Incorporated of Greater Atlanta

Girls' Bill of Rights

In Taking the Lead: Girls Rights in the 21st Century, a nationally representative
survey about girls' rights, girls have told us that they want this world for
themselves. Our national organization asked 2,000 boys and girls in grades
three through 12 to tell them what rights girls have and do not have and how
those rights shape girls' lives today and their hopes for the future.

While today's girls are confident in their abilities and ambitious in their goals,
they are frustrated by outmoded stereotypes that place roadblocks in their paths.
They feel pressured to conform to narrow and often conflicting expectations in
all aspects of their lives.

Importantly, girls experiencing these gender barriers have a lower quality of life
and less confidence in their futures. For these girls, exercising their rights is not
a philosophical issue but rather an opportunity to make concrete improvements
in their lives at school, at home, and in their communities.

Girls have told us that they are ready to seize this opportunity. Through the data
in this report and in their own words, they have said that they recognize and
resist the stereotypes. In fact, as girls grow older, they see the limitations
imposed on them more clearly and object more strenuously. One twelfth-grader
spoke for many when she said, "Girls have never been less than boys. It would
be nice if people could just understand that girls can do the same things boys
can."

At Girls Inc., we are helping girls learn their rights and open doors to a more
equitable society. It is a cause we have championed for over fifty years. Through
the Girls Inc. "Girls' Rights Campaign", we are reaching out to millions of girls
across America and to the millions of adults who care about them. Our goal is
to help every girl understand, value, and gain access to her rights. A national
advertising campaign will dramatize the importance of girls' rights. Through the
vast reach of the Internet, we will ask girls across the country what kinds of
support they need to achieve their rights. And we will use their answers to
inform the parents, teachers, family members and friends who want to help girls
achieve their fullest potential.

Girls have the right:

To be themselves and to resist gender stereotypes
To express themselves with originality and enthusiasm
To take risks, to strive freely, and to take pride in success
To accept and appreciate their bodies
To have confidence in themselves and to be safe in the world
To prepare for interesting work and economic independence

Girls' Rights in the 21st Century

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