History of Girl in Timeline

A girl is typically defined as a young female human, often a child or adolescent. Although the term can also refer to a young woman, a daughter, or a girlfriend, its primary and most common meaning relates to a young female individual.

1924: Reforms granting girls Baccalaureate diplomas in France

In 1924, under education minister Léon Bérard, reforms in France were enacted that entitled girls to receive a Baccalaureate diploma.

1950: Decline of foot binding in China

By 1950, the practice of foot binding in China, which was a custom associated with upper-class women and involved binding girls' feet from a young age to achieve an ideal appearance, was all but extinct.

1955: Publication of Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov

Vladimir Nabokov's controversial book Lolita was published in 1955. The book is about a doomed relationship between a 12-year-old girl and an adult scholar as they travel across the United States.

1956: Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery

The 1956 Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery defined practices including giving a woman in marriage without the right to refuse, the husband's right to transfer her for value, or a woman being inherited on her husband's death, as "institutions and practices similar to slavery".

1959: Publication of Zazie dans le métro by Raymond Queneau

Raymond Queneau's popular French novel Zazie dans le métro (Zazie in the Metro) was published in 1959. It humorously celebrates the innocence and precocity of Zazie, who ventures off on her own to explore Paris.

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1960: Release of movie Zazie dans le Métro

The movie Zazie dans le Métro (Zazie in the Metro) directed by Louis Malle, based on Raymond Queneau's novel, was released in 1960.

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1978: Decriminalization of the Apache Sunrise Ceremony

In 1978, the Indian Religious Freedom Act decriminalized the traditional Apache coming-of-age ceremony for girls, called the na'ii'ees (Sunrise Ceremony), which had been banned by the U.S. government for many decades. After decriminalization, the ceremony saw a revival.

1988: United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child

In 1988, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child promoted better access to education for all girls and boys and to eliminate gender disparities at both primary and secondary level.

1990: Closing the education gap since 1990

Worldwide efforts, such as through the Millennium Development Goals, have been made and the gap has closed since 1990 regarding education of girls in primary and secondary schools.

1995: Release of 'The Dying Rooms' documentary

In 1995, the television documentary film 'The Dying Rooms' was released, documenting Chinese state orphanages where newborn girls were abandoned and left to die of thirst or starvation, highlighting the son preference in China.

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1996: SAT score disparity between girls and boys in the US

In 1996, the average SAT verbal score for US girls was 4 points lower than boys, and the math score was 35 points lower, though the math gap dissipates when girls take the same courses.

2000: Millennium Development Goals promote education access

In 2000, the Millennium Development Goals promoted better access to education for all girls and boys and to eliminate gender disparities at both primary and secondary level.

2001: Sex ratio imbalance in India

In India, the 2001 census showed 927 girls for every 1000 boys under the age of 6 years old, highlighting a declining sex ratio.

2005: University of Chicago study on classroom gender dynamics

A 2005 University of Chicago study showed that a majority presence of girls in the classroom tends to enhance the academic performance of boys.

2005: Improved global enrollment rates for girls

In 2005, global primary net enrollment rates were 85 percent for girls, up from 78 percent 15 years earlier; at the secondary level, girls' enrollment increased 10 percentage points to 57 percent over the same period.

2005: Kim Wallen's statement on nature versus nurture

In 2005, professor Kim Wallen of Emory University noted, "I think the 'nature versus nurture' question is not meaningful, because it treats them as independent factors, whereas in fact everything is nature and nurture."

2005: UN report on human trafficking

The UN's 2005 report stated that up to 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year, and as many as 80 percent are women and girls, partly blamed on gender imbalance in regions like China.

2006: Girls outscore boys on SAT verbal portion in the US

By 2006, girls were outscoring boys on the verbal portion of the United States' nationwide SAT exam by 11 points.

2010: Canadian study on menstruation and socio-economic factors

According to a 2010 Canadian study, the variation of age in which menstruation begins had a "statistically significant" relation to where the child was living, household income, and family type.

February 2011: Introduction of International Day of the Girl idea to Canadian Minister

In February 2011, a delegation of girls from Plan Canada introduced the idea of an International Day of the Girl to Rona Ambrose, Canada's Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, at the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women at United Nations Headquarters.

March 2011: Canada's Parliament adopts motion for International Day of the Girl

In March 2011, Canada's Parliament unanimously adopted a motion requesting that Canada take the lead at the United Nations in the initiative to proclaim an International Day of the Girl.

December 19, 2011: UN adoption of International Day of the Girl Child

On December 19, 2011, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted an International Day of the Girl Child.

2011: Sex ratio imbalance in India

In India, by 2011, there were 91 girls younger than 6 for every 100 boys, highlighting a declining sex ratio. The 2011 census showed a drop from 927 girls per 1000 boys in 2001 to 918 girls per 1000 boys in 2011.

2011: PLAN International focuses on boys' roles in gender equality

PLAN International's 2011 Annual Report points out that men have more influence and may be able to convince communities to curb early marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) more effectively than women.