THE STATUS
OF GIRLS IN
NORTH CAROLINA
Contact Information
General Information:
Amie Hess
(919) 760-8016
hessamie@meredith.edu
Press Contact:
Melyssa Allen, News Director
(919) 760-8455
allenme@meredith.edu
Women across the United States are forging new ground. In 2016, history was made when a woman accepted the nomination for one of the two major political parties to run for President of the United States. Add to this, women now hold 21% of the seats in the U.S. Senate and 19.1% of the seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. This represents a slight uptick in the representation of women politically over the previous five years. Thirty five percent of the women who make up a part of the 115th Congress are women of color. In addition, the only person of color from the North Carolina federal delegation is Congresswoman Alma Adams. Women represent both major political parties, and make up a part of the most racially, ethnically, and sexually diverse Congress in history. In North Carolina, women currently make up 24% of the state legislature, though only 13% of North Carolina’s federal delegation. Political representation is just one area in which to look for both signs of change and resistance for women both nationally and locally. It is important to consider the areas in which girls in North Carolina are gaining ground and where they are losing it. But, it is just as important to think about which girls are gaining and which are losing. North Carolina must be a place where all girls can thrive.
One of the most persistent findings of this report—from 2013 to 2017—is that there are tremendous differences in outcomes for girls based on their racial or ethnic background. Despite declining rates of poverty since the release of our first report, girls of color in North Carolina are disproportionately represented among children living in poverty. This sets up enormous barriers to success for these young people. These effects can be seen in childhood and adolescence in lower educational achievements, higher rates of teen pregnancy, and higher rates of obesity. As the demographics of North Carolina continue to shift, residents must find ways to enable all girls to become strong, successful leaders.
Gaining Ground
There are many areas in which girls in North Carolina are excelling or showing important signs of improvement.
In education...
- The percentage of girls with grade-level EOG and EOC scores is on par with (and, in some cases exceeds) that of boys across all grades and subjects.
- Girls also perform on par with boys on SAT testing.
- Female graduation rates exceed those of males; female have high rates of graduation across all racial and ethnic groups.
In economic security, safety, and school support...
- Though not specific to girls, it is worth celebrating the decline in poverty rates among families headed by a single mother since 2011. It is also important to note that these families are at greatest risk of poverty when compared to two-parent or single father families across all racial and ethnic groups.
- Girls are far less likely than boys to be identified as juvenile offenders in the criminal justice system or to receive serious punishments (i.e. suspension or expulsion) in school settings.
- Almost all public high schools report having an anti-bullying/harassment policy in place to ensure that all students have a safe and productive learning environment. However, less than half specify sexual orientation or gender identity in those policies.
- Rates of harassment and physical abuse among LGBT youth have declined since 2011, though one in seven LGBT youth report experiencing verbal harassment at school.
In health...
- Rates of smoking have declined among all teens between 2011 and 2015. Females are much less likely to smoke cigarettes and to use e-cigarette products than their male peers. However, the rate of e-cigarette use among teens is alarmingly high.
- The number of young women participating in organized high school athletics continues a decades long increase.
- Rates of sexual activity among high school females continues to decrease. Only 52% of young women in 12th grade report having had sex—down ten percentage points from 2011.
- Teen pregnancy rates also continue to decline. The rate of teen pregnancy among girls in North Carolina has been halved between 2000 and 2015 across 15-19 year olds.
In media consumption...
- The percentage of both middle and high school females watching excessive amounts of television on school days continues to a decade-long decrease. This decrease is matched with an increase among non-academic computer use among this same population.
In leadership...
- Thousands of girls across the state are participating in girl-focused community leadership organizations like Girls on the Run and Girl Scouts. These organizations have a commitment to serving all girls, regardless of financial need.
- Young women make up approximately two-thirds of student government officers in high schools across North Carolina.
- Among voters aged 18-19 in the 2016 national election women made up over half of the electorate.
Losing Ground
Many areas remain in which the collective efforts on behalf of girls and young women of North Carolina need to be redoubled.
In economic security...
- While poverty rates have declined for children in North Carolina since our first report was published in 2013, the rate of child poverty remains higher in North Carolina than the national rate.
- African American and Latina children remain more than twice as likely to live in poverty than their white or Asian counterparts.
In education...
- The racial achievement gap as measured by EOG and EOC scores persists. While the 2011-12 data suggested that the gap narrowed as girls moved into high school, the 2015-16 data indicates a reversal of this trend.
- While girls make up over 60% of student enrolled in AP Biology courses, they make up less than half of student in AP calculus courses, and barely a quarter of students enrolled in AP physics and AP computer science courses.
In safety and school supports...
- Though African Americans make up less than a quarter of the youth under 18, they comprise over half of the complaints among juveniles. This is true for both young men and young women.
- The racial disparity in school punishments is greater among females than males (though African American males are punished at higher rates than any other group of students).
- The percentage of Latina young women reporting a sexual assault has increased by 5% since 2011. Latinas report the highest rate of forced sexual intercourse, physical dating violence, and sexual dating violence.
- Among high school students, white young women are almost twice as likely as other young women to report being bullied (both electronic and bullying on school property).
- Over one in four LGBT students report being electronically bullied and one in three report being bullied on school property. LGBT students are twice as likely as students identifying as heterosexual to report feeling unsafe at school.
In health...
- The percentage of young women who are overweight or obese increased between 2011 and 2015. The specific patterns of the increase differed by racial or ethnic group, but all groups saw some level of increase.
- Young women are significantly less likely than their male peers to be physically inactive on a regular basis.
- Girls experiencing depressive symptoms increased among high school females in 2015 for the first time in a decade. Females are more than twice as likely as their male peers to report depressive symptoms.
- Reports of depression and suicide-related thoughts seem to be concentrated among early adolescents—girls in 7th through 9th grades.
- The percentage of both African American and Latina high school females who made a suicide attempt that resulted in an injury more than doubled between 2011 and 2015.
- When compared to their heterosexual peers, youth identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or unsure are significantly more likely to seriously consider, plan for, and attempt suicide.
- Rates of sexually transmitted diseases among young women in North Carolina remain alarmingly high (though they have declined since 2011) and higher than incidence rates of STDs nationally.
