Girlguiding UK surveyed 1000 girls and women in its organization to find out what skills they wanted to learn. Popular answers included "surf the Web safely," "stand up to boys," "master Microsoft Word," "practice safe sex," and "assemble flat-pack furniture."
The demands emerged in a survey of more than 1,000 Guides by Girlguiding UK, which is striving to keep itself relevant to the lives of young women. A spokeswoman said that the movement would act on the findings and make sure that the appeal for more information on sex and money was met.
In the poll, senior Guides, who are aged over 16, said that managing money was the most important skill to master as they contemplated leaving the family home. "Practising safe sex" was placed fourth, with "assembling flat-pack furniture" eighth. Younger Guides, aged from 10 to 15, valued more traditional skills. Top of their list was "cooking a healthy meal" and "pitching a tent", although "standing up to boys" came fourth.
The youngest Guides, aged under 10, said that they wanted to know how to surf the web safely and how to cross the road.
Link (Via Nothing To Do With Arbroath)
Reader comment:
Susannah says:
The piece on UK Girl Guides made me think of Mary
Yaeger's "Female Merit Badges," which recognize
milestones from getting pubic hair to wearing your
first pair of high heels to having a mastectomy. They
took my breath away when I first saw them several
years ago.
