A Report by the Girl Scout Research Institute
Today’s Girls,
Tomorrow’s
Entrepreneurs
Transforming Interest and Aptitude into Success
Download the Full Report
Girls’ entrepreneurial futures are bright!
Read on to see key findings from the study as well as some ways you can help girls move forward.
The Girl Scout Research Institute conducted a national research study of 1,506 girls ages 8–17 to better understand girls’ outlook on entrepreneurship.
1,506
Number of survey participants
Key findings from the report:
Today’s Girls, Tomorrow’s Entrepreneurs
Girls today possess many of the traits linked to entrepreneurial success.
In fact, six in ten girls have an entrepreneurial mindset.*
These entrepreneurial qualities include:
Aspiring to make
an impact and
change the world
Embracing challenges and taking risks
Seeing failure as an opportunity for growth
Openness to collaboration and new ideas
What’s an entrepreneurial mindset?
Girls with an entrepreneurial mindset have a set of skills or qualities—like curiosity and confidence—that are linked to entrepreneurial success.
Girl Scouts’ definition of entrepreneurial mindset merges innovation and strategic risk taking with a focus on social impact and collaboration.
What’s an entrepreneurial mindset?
*See report for more details on entrepreneurial mindset.
The findings are both illuminating and inspiring: girls today are interested in entrepreneurship, and many are already thinking like entrepreneurs! With our support, there’s no stopping them.
Why is entrepreneurship important for girls?
When it comes to future careers, girls are actively exploring their entrepreneurial interests.
Interested in becoming an entrepreneur in the future
Interested in starting their own company
Want to lead a cause or campaign in something they believe in
78%
76%
84%
Having an entrepreneurial mindset prepares girls for a successful education, a career of their choosing, and the skills needed to tackle challenges they’re most passionate about. In short, it balances the scales and readies them for today’s world.
Why is entrepreneurship important for girls?
*Refer to the full report for citations.
Limited access to information about how to get started
Less than half of new entrepreneurs today are women*, and much of what girls identify as common barriers we know that women continue to face, such as:
Girls are ready—but are we prepared
to support them?
How are gender stereotypes a stumbling block for girls in entrepreneurship?
Three in four girls believe they would have to work harder to succeed in entrepreneurship roles because of their gender. While most girls agree that men and women are equally capable of being the CEO of a company or starting their own business, many believe that men are more likely than women to actually do it.
How to access the social and financial capital and technology to succeed
Perceptions of an entrepreneurial glass ceiling related to gender
As girls get older, they are less likely to think society encourages women to be entrepreneurs.
Percentage of girls who believe that society encourages women to be entrepreneurs:
Hover to view percentages.
Ages
8-10
Ages
11-13
Ages
14-17
How are gender stereotypes a stumbling block for girls in entrepreneurship?
62%
67%
75%
Entrepreneurship courses or programs
To be mentored by an entrepreneur
Financial literacy courses or programs
Girls know the learning opportunities they want—but there is a large gap between what they want and the opportunities they receive!
Even though nearly half of girls have actively been encouraged by someone to be an entrepreneur, we need to ensure that all girls with interest feel supported.
Girls know what they need: more entrepreneurship courses and real-life access to role models.
Opportunity girls want
What girls are actually getting
Knowledge about female entrepreneurs
12%
8%
21%
25%
64%
51%
40%
38%
61%
Girl Scouts are more likely than other girls to have an entrepreneurial mindset.
How are girls already exploring entrepreneurship?
Many girls have already taken part in activities related to entrepreneurship including:
How are girls already exploring entrepreneurship?
Girls who have an entrepreneurial mindset
Girls interested in
becoming an entrepreneur
Girl Scouts
All Girls
Non-
Girl Scouts
79%
52%
Non-
Girl Scouts
Girl Scouts
All Girls
71%
91%
78%
And they’re more likely to want to be an entrepreneur in the future.
Through Girl Scout experiences, girls develop the attitudes, skills, and behaviors they need to succeed in life—giving them the courage to fail and keep trying, the tools to create an independent future, and the power to do good in the world.
Creating a new product or service
Finding a new way to use an existing product
Encouraging someone to join a cause
Starting a business, club or organization
It’s up to us to help pave their way forward and prepare the world for girls.
Here are five ways you can help girls become leaders in this space:
Celebrate, recognize, and validate girls’ entrepreneurship. Help them see that their experiences innovating, leading, organizing, and fundraising are a foundation for entrepreneurship and a means to change the world.
Encourage interest through opportunities to learn entrepreneurial skills hands-on. Like the Girl Scout Cookie Program, where girls get direct experience practicing skills like goal setting, decision making, money management, and more.
What can businesses do to help girls become leaders?
Invest in girls (and women!) to close the leadership and pay gap! The top issue that women in business face is a lack of investments and financial backing.
Ensure equity in the workplace. One of the top five non-negotiables girls discuss for their future careers is working in an environment where men and women are treated equally.
Download the full report for more ways to accelerate their future.
What can businesses do to help girls become leaders?
For questions or to explore ways to partner with us in support of girls, contact gsresearch@girlscouts.org
Be an advocate for girls!
Discover more ways
to support girls’
entrepreneurial futures.
Download the Full Report
See more ways Girl Scouts supports girls’ entrepreneurial success.
Learn More
Girls are poised to be leaders in entrepreneurship—they have the interest and aptitude, so we just need to support them as they get there!
Contact Us
Share this research with someone you
believe can take action on behalf of girls.
© 2019 Girl Scouts of the United States of America. A 501(c)(3) Organization. All Rights Reserved.
Mentor a girl. It’s one of the most fulfilling things you can do as an entrepreneur, and it can help to close the gender gap in business.
Conquer gender biases in entrepreneurship. Ask adult role models to make an ongoing commitment to eliminate gender biases from dialogue and to nurture girls’ interest in entrepreneurship.
For businesses: Invest in girls (and women!) to close the leadership and pay gap! The top issue that women in business face is a lack of investments and financial backing.
What girls are actually getting
Opportunity girls want
What’s an entrepreneurial mindset?
Girls with an entrepreneurial mindset have a set of skills or qualities—like curiosity and confidence—that are linked to entrepreneurial success.
Girl Scouts’ definition of entrepreneurial mindset merges innovation and strategic risk taking with a focus on social impact and collaboration.
What’s an entrepreneurial mindset?
Why is entrepreneurship important for girls?
Having an entrepreneurial mindset prepares girls for a successful education, a career of
their choosing, and the skills needed to tackle challenges they’re most passionate about. In short, it balances the scales and readies them for today’s world.
Why is entrepreneurship important for girls?
How are gender stereotypes a stumbling
block for girls in entrepreneurship?
Starting a business, club or organization
Encouraging someone to join a cause
Finding a new way to use an existing product
Creating a new product or service
Many girls have already taken part in activities related to entrepreneurship including:
How are girls already exploring entrepreneurship?
How are girls already exploring
entrepreneurship?
Invest in girls (and women!) to close the leadership and pay gap! The top issue that women in business face is a lack of investments and financial backing.
Ensure equity in the workplace. One of the top five non-negotiables girls discuss for their future careers is working in an environment where men and women are treated equally.
Download the full report for more ways to accelerate their future.
What can businesses do to help girls become leaders?
Connect with a powerful
community of
alums and supporters
The Girl Scout Network