Most parents fear daughters will grow up unsafe in public, survey finds

Four in five parents fear their daughters will grow up feeling unsafe in public in Britain, according to a survey.

The research from charity Plan International UK also reveals growing concern, including among women, that progress on gender equality is going backwards.

It found 80% of parents worry their daughters will grow up feeling unsafe in public, with 40% believing this will happen at an earlier age than it did for them.

Nearly two-thirds of women (63%) say they have felt unsafe in public, with over half (58%) experiencing unwanted physical or sexual harassment. Two in five (41%) believe equality is going backwards.

Despite the widespread concern, parents say they are struggling to have conversations with their children about equality and safety.

More than two in five (42%) have never spoken to their children about gender equality, while 36% have never discussed consent. Over a quarter (27%) also said they feel unequipped to protect their children from harmful content online.

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Plan International UK, which is today launching The Fine Print campaign, highlighting the unequal conditions girls are born into, said its findings refuted those who claim gender equality "has gone far enough".

"These findings tell a very different story," it said. "Many women feel progress is going backwards, and their everyday experiences show why."

The findings came from polling of 2,000 adults and 1,114 parents of under-18s.

They come after the government unveiled in December its long-awaited strategy to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.

It includes teachers being trained to spot early signs of misogyny in boys, with the prime minister warning that "too often toxic ideas are taking hold early and going unchallenged".

Sir Keir Starmer has described tackling violence against women and girls as a "responsibility we owe to the next generation".

(c) Sky News 2026: Most parents fear daughters will grow up unsafe in public, survey finds