Research Research Library

Research Library

Girls’ education is backed by evidence. The GSA Research Library brings together the latest reports, insights, and data on single-sex girls’ education.

~90,000

girls are educated in girls’ schools across the UK and robust research ensures their voices are heard.

Gender

Falling healthy life expectancy and widening inequalities – with growing impact on women and girls (February 2026)

Attainment & Education Policy

School phone bans show mixed short-term impact but longer-term benefits (May 2026)

Attainment & Education Policy

Rising primary school suspensions linked to more complex pupil needs (May 2026)

Digital & AI

Girls overwhelmingly targeted in online abuse, with 97% of AI-generated child sexual abuse images depicting girls (May 2026)

Curriculum & Teaching

Teaching quality and sense of belonging drive student satisfaction over 20 years of higher education (May 2026)

Digital & AI

TikTok’s algorithm is reshaping feminism – driving fatigue, pessimism and a shift towards individualised identity (January 2026)

Digital & AI

Mainstream TikTok content may be normalising harmful gender stereotypes and anti-feminist attitudes among young men (April 2026)

Digital & AI

Most UK university AI policies present themselves as educational guidance while functioning primarily as compliance and surveillance tools (May 2026)

Careers

Women leaders are judged more heavily on outcomes than perceived intentions, while men are rewarded for both outcomes and perceived effort or intent (April 2026)

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The Girls’ Research Association

Gender

Falling healthy life expectancy and widening inequalities – with growing impact on women and girls (February 2026)

New analysis shows that healthy life expectancy in the UK has declined to its lowest level in over a decade, with women now expected to spend just over 60 years in good health – a larger fall than seen for men – alongside widening regional inequalities and significant socioeconomic gaps. The data highlights a growing divide, with women in the most deprived areas experiencing far fewer years of good health than those in the most affluent, reflecting the disproportionate impact of poverty, poor housing and rising mental ill health.

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Attainment & Education Policy

School phone bans show mixed short-term impact but longer-term benefits (May 2026)

Large-scale research suggests that while school phone bans successfully reduce device use, they may initially lead to increased behavioural issues and lower student wellbeing, with more positive effects emerging over time, indicating that sustained implementation and wider changes to school culture are key to realising longer-term benefits.

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Attainment & Education Policy

Rising primary school suspensions linked to more complex pupil needs (May 2026)

New data shows suspensions are increasing in primary schools even as rates fall in secondaries, with school leaders pointing to growing levels of complex needs, developmental delays, and reduced school readiness among younger pupils, alongside funding pressures and limited SEND support, highlighting wider challenges facing early education settings.

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Digital & AI

Girls overwhelmingly targeted in online abuse, with 97% of AI-generated child sexual abuse images depicting girls (May 2026)

New data highlights a deeply gendered pattern of online harm, with girls disproportionately represented in both real and AI-generated abuse imagery, alongside rising risks of coercion, exploitation and re-victimisation for older teenage girls.

The report also warns of rapidly evolving threats, including AI tools, sexual extortion and the commercialisation of abuse, underscoring the need for schools to strengthen digital safeguarding and education around online safety, consent and image-sharing.

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Curriculum & Teaching

Teaching quality and sense of belonging drive student satisfaction over 20 years of higher education (May 2026)

New research from HEPI, analysing 20 years of UK student experience data shows that teaching quality, meaningful support and a strong sense of belonging are the most important drivers of student satisfaction, far outweighing factors such as background or personal circumstances.

The report highlights that students’ perceptions of value for money are shaped primarily by their academic experience, including clear teaching, supportive staff and timely feedback, alongside feeling part of a university community. While satisfaction dipped during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid cost-of-living pressures, experiences have largely recovered, though financial strain and increased term-time work continue to shape modern student life.

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Digital & AI

TikTok’s algorithm is reshaping feminism – driving fatigue, pessimism and a shift towards individualised identity (January 2026)

New research finds TikTok’s algorithms are contributing to growing disillusionment with “empowerment” culture among young women, encouraging more individualised and often pessimistic views of feminism and relationships.

The study highlights how constant pressure to curate identity, alongside exposure to polarised and appearance-driven content, is driving emotional fatigue and limiting deeper, collective engagement with feminist ideas.

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Digital & AI

Mainstream TikTok content may be normalising harmful gender stereotypes and anti-feminist attitudes among young men (April 2026)

This University of Melbourne study developed a new framework for identifying “manosphere” content on TikTok and found that much of it was embedded within lifestyle, fitness, finance and relationship content aimed at young men, often reinforcing restrictive gender norms and stereotyped views of women. While the paper focused primarily on young men’s wellbeing and online behaviour, it highlighted how algorithmically amplified content can normalise anti-feminist attitudes, rigid gender expectations and harmful relationship dynamics that are highly relevant to schools and educators supporting both boys and girls.

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Digital & AI

Most UK university AI policies present themselves as educational guidance while functioning primarily as compliance and surveillance tools (May 2026)

The HEPI study analysed publicly accessible AI policies from 96 UK universities and found a significant gap between the supportive language institutions use and the restrictive, audit-focused structures many policies actually impose on students. The report argues that genuinely student-centred AI policies should prioritise trust, critical thinking and student agency over surveillance and misconduct frameworks, with important implications for how schools and universities approach AI literacy and assessment design.

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Careers

Women leaders are judged more heavily on outcomes than perceived intentions, while men are rewarded for both outcomes and perceived effort or intent (April 2026)

This University of Melbourne study found that evaluators used different criteria when assessing male and female leaders, with women needing strong outcomes to receive rewards, whereas men could still receive bonuses if evaluators believed they had good intentions. Importantly, the research found little evidence of gender differences in beliefs about leaders’ abilities or decisions themselves, suggesting that bias emerged through the standards used to evaluate men and women rather than through overt assumptions about competence.

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