Girl

Girl is a term used to refer to a female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood. The term is also used to mean a young or relatively young woman. The term girl may also be used to mean a daughter.

Biology and gender

Girls, like all children, become gendered adults. Girls' bodies undergo gradual changes during puberty, analogous to but distinct from those experienced by boys. Puberty is the process of physical changes by which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction to enable fertilization. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads. In response to the signals, the gonads produce hormones that stimulate libido and the growth, function, and transformation of the brain, bones, muscle, blood, skin, hair, breasts, and sexual organs.

Education

Education for girls has been a global focus of the United Nations. It is also a focus of national development strategies in many countries. The education of girls and women can reduce poverty, improve health, and foster development.

Health

Girls' health is of particular concern because, in many societies, they are disadvantaged by discrimination rooted in sociocultural factors. For example, girls receive less health care than boys, and are more likely to be malnourished.

Culture and gender roles

In many cultures, girls face significant obstacles related to their status and gender. These obstacles include, but are not limited to, two-thirds of the world's illiterate population being female, higher rates of poverty among women and girls, pervasive violence against women and girls, and the exclusion of girls from decisions that affect their lives and bodies.

See also

• Woman
• Female
• Child
• Adolescence
• Puberty
• Education
• Health
• Culture
• Gender roles

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