New Être Survey: The State of Girls’ Confidence - By the Numbers

By now you’ve seen some of the stats from Être’s powerful new survey. You’ve read that between ages 13 and 18 girls’ confidence drops by 20%. You’ve heard that between the same ages the percentage of girls who say they feel smart and optimistic drops by 50% and 52%, respectively…but that 91% of girls feel higher confidence is directly related to mentorship.

There’s more.

The survey broke new ground, telling us that mentors not only make girls more confident – they encourage and empower them to step out of their comfort zones and try harder things.

Let’s dive into the numbers - here’s some more of what Être found:

89% of girls with a mentor say they are more confident doing something as simple yet daunting as making new friends, versus 79% without mentors. And 87% of girls with a mentor say they are more confident applying for internships, versus 70% without mentors.

This piece of data struck me particularly hard when I read it, because of the age of the girls surveyed. Most companies save formal internship programs for college-age students, yet here we have an impressive number of girls under 18 seeking internships to help them explore future paths.

The solution? A new Être program announced today called Be My Shadow, where girls interested in different industries can spend half a day shadowing a woman leading in that field. Whether in a small group or 1:1, Be My Shadow will allow girls too young for internships the chance to see first-hand what it is possible to be long-term. Our first event will bring girls behind the scenes in media relations, and finance is next – leading to future internships, fresh mentor pathways and reinforced confidence.

What else did the survey reveal?

More stark contrasts. That 83% of girls with a mentor say they are more confident trying out for a new sports team, versus only 59% without mentors, and 75% of girls with a mentor say they are more confident speaking in public, versus 50% without mentors. Since 94% of C-suite female executives played sports in their youth, this math matters.

What about girls’ mental well-being and overall happiness?

The news was good there too.

Girls’ self-perceptions and well-being are significantly more positive with a mentor. Specifically, more girls who have a mentor say they feel happy (51% versus 40%) and smart (45% versus 33%).

And fewer girls with a mentor say they feel anxious (18% versus 36% without a mentor) or stressed (24% versus 41% without a mentor).

Finally, more girls who have a mentor say they feel optimistic (30% versus 17%) and confident (44% versus 26%).

And confident is what it’s all about.

At Être we know early mentorship matters and this new survey confirms it. Across the board, girls feel more confident with a mentor by their side, and that starts as early as middle school. Seeing these numbers inspired our newest offering #BeMyShadow for girls too young for internships, and made us more committed than ever to slamming the confidence gap shut...like a locker door.

We will continue to share what we learned and we invite you to review Être's State of Girls’ Confidence Survey here. Want to download stat cards to share with your team? Same link. Ready to hear global girls tell you their favorite piece of data? Click here. Interested in partnering with us and this research on a larger scale? DM me.

I know with every boardroom visit we've hosted over the years that early mentorship equals higher confidence. Doing the math proves it out, and it's math we can all do. Want your company to help solve for girls' confidence? The equation answer calls for mentors.

Looking forward,

Illana

ÊXTRAS: Three stats you need to know…and follow @etregirls so you don't miss more: 66% of girls say finding a mentor at any point in their journey helps them, but 34% wish they had found a mentor earlier (note: that's 34% of girls already under 18); 80% say a sports mentor would give them a better idea of what they want their career to be (in any industry); and - in advance of Equal Pay Day - 58% say they learned about finance & money management from their moms.