This Survey Shows A Whole New Generation Of Feminists
As a teen, you never really know where you stand in society. I certainly didn't anyway, and I know I'm not the only person who suffered from those ridiculous awkward years.
However, in a survey conducted by ICM for the National Citizen Service, more teenage girls call themselves 'feminist' more than any other word (for example, 'intellectual' or 'environmentalist').
The survey questioned teenagers with regards to their most influential role models, most of which (both male and female), named Emma Watson. Out of 43 other notable personalities across film, music, sport and more, she had the most votes, beating Beyoncé and Ariana Grande to the top spot. A large number of the girls who took part in the survey found that they looked up to public figures who were advocates for social causes and issues.
Researchers also released other words that girls used to describe themselves aside from 'feminist'. A tenth of girls surveyed called themselves 'sporty', whilst a fifth identified as 'bookworms'.
When it came to the boys who were surveyed, only five percent of them considered themselves as 'feminist', with 'gamer' being their most popular identifier with 39% of the male vote. The survey also found that LGBT youth are 40% more likely to identify as feminist than those of their peers who identify as heterosexual. It also found that young Asians and Caucasians were more likely to label themselves as feminist than their Black peers.
Brand Marketing Director at the NCS Trust told the Daily Mail: 'The rise of internet feminism and increasingly politically engaged youth has brought these issues to the forefront.' She also said that the lead of the Beauty and the Beast remake has creating such an impact, naming it 'the Emma Watson effect' which 'has done brilliant things for the cause.'