Wisconsin Girl Report Executive Summary For more than a century, Girl Scouts has created opportunities for girls to develop courage, confidence, and character to make the world a better place. Millions of Girl Scout alum are evidence of one undeniable fact: at Girl Scouts, we are experts on girls. In our ambition to support communities where girls thrive, we are at a crossroads. While the girls we serve today have the resources and motivation to make their mark on the world, we also see girls struggling under a combination of circumstances unique to any prior generation. These challenges led us to commission the Wisconsin Girl Report. The principal goal of this report is to investigate differences in the lived experiences between girls and boys in four dimensions of wellness. Physical Health. Includes lifelong health conditions, sexual violence, dating relationships, and substance abuse.
Academic Performance. Includes K-12 proficiency, student engagement, college and career readiness, and graduation decisions.
Emotional Wellness. Includes mental health conditions, suicidality, access to care, bullying, and social media and technology.
Social Wellbeing. Includes adverse childhood experiences, social connections, and engagement with afterschool programs. Collectively, this research proves one undeniable fact: girls and boys have largely different experiences growing up in Wisconsin.
Powered by the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Denise Schemenauer Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Manitou Council www.gsmanitou.org Patti Shafto-Carlson Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes www.gsnwgl.org Ana Simpson Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast www.gswise.org Lisa Smith Chief Executive Officer Girl Scouts of Wisconsin - Badgerland www.gsbadgerland.org
Read the full report online at WisconsinGirlReport.org or scan here:
P H Y S I C A L H E A LT H
EMOT I ONA L W ELLN ES S
Across every measured category, more high school girls in Wisconsin abuse controlled substances compared to their male peers.
Learning how to care for their physical needs is a foundational skill all girls must develop before the independence of adulthood. Girls are struggling to form healthy eating habits, practice good sleep hygiene, and for one-third of all girls in Wisconsin, manage lifelong health conditions.
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2023
• 52% of parents of girls report difficulty obtaining necessary mental health treatment.
Substance Abuse among Wisconsin High School Youth
Compounding these challenges, girls in Wisconsin are more likely than boys to experience sexual violence and engage in substance abuse, presenting significant disruptions in adolescence.
25%
Cigarettes
• Twice as many girls as boys engage in binge eating and 1 in 8 skip meals or fast.
Prescription Narcotics
22%
Female
11% 11%
Male
• 75% of high school girls report earning A’s and B’s compared to 68% of boys. • 28% more girls than boys enroll directly into a post-secondary program after high school. U.S. Census, ACS 1-Year Estimates, Table S1502, 2023, Wisconsin
23%
Science and Engineering Related Fields Female
23%
19%
21%
8%
6% Science and Engineering
Considered suicide
Business
Male
Education
11%
Made a plan to attempt suicide
11%
6%
Attempted suicide
4%
2%
Injury from suicide attempt
Male
Decades of research suggest that strong, positive relationships are one of the most important protective factors against challenges experienced during adolescence. More girls than boys in Wisconsin are struggling to build these important relationships: • Parents report that neighborhoods are more supportive of boys than girls. 2 out of 5 girls live in an unsupportive neighborhood.
• 25% of high school girls report not having a teacher or another adult to talk with about a problem.
Field of First Bachelor's Degree First Major, by Sex, Wisconsin
17%
19%
14%
• 1 in 6 girls witnessed physical violence in her neighborhood, with higher rates among girls who identify as Black (1 in 3) and Latina (1 in 4).
Women trail men 17% in pursuing high-earning STEM and engineering bachelor’s degrees.
17%
Signs of depression
24%
SOCIAL WELLBEING
• Girls comprise the largest portion of AP students. 57% of students completing an AP exam are female.
25%
25%
Female
By several measures, girls achieve success in the classroom at a higher rate than boys. However, in science proficiency, only 28% of girls achieve college-ready on the ACT.
Largely comprised of healthcare fields
High school students reporting signs of depression and suicidality
17% 16%
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE
42%
Youth Risk Behavior Survey, Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, 2023
45% 30%
Alcohol
• 1 in 3 girls live with a lifelong health condition, an increase of 20% in the last 5 years.
1 in 10 high school girls attempt death by suicide, a rate 2x that of high school boys.
31%
Marijuana
• 1 in 5 high school girls experiences sexual violence, a rate three times higher than that of teenage boys.
• 79% of teenage girls in Wisconsin would not talk with an adult in their family about their feelings. 39% 30%
E-Vaping
A national dialog on youth mental health emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic as the sharp change in daily norms exacerbated mental and emotional challenges already impacting girls. Among the most concerning trends is the startling rise in suicidality. Death by suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people ages 5-25 in Wisconsin.
Arts, Humanities, and Others
• Less than half of girls live in families who demonstrate qualities of resilience such as working together to solve problems and staying hopeful in difficult times. • 38% of high school girls are not enrolled in any organized activity outside of school compared to 35% of boys.
One in four high school girls reports not having a teacher or another adult to talk with if they have a problem.
The Girl Scout Difference
When we show up to support girls, they’re unstoppable. Here’s proof.
We believe in building communities where girls thrive in partnership with educators, parents, and other organizations serving girls. The more champions a girl has, the better. This is what Girl Scouts brings to the table: Safe, all-girl spaces designed with her in mind. A team of trained adults ready to support her big ambitions. Experiences proven to build her courage, confidence, and character.
92%
of Wisconsin Girl Scouts feel like Girl Scouts is a place they belong.
71%
of Wisconsin Girl Scouts are more confident in school because of Girl Scouts.
63%
of Girl Scout teens who do STEM want to have a STEM career, compared to 9% of non-Girl Scouts.
75%
of Wisconsin Girl Scouts say their troop leader cares about them as a person.
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