RYA Tactics
The perfect Tactical xmas present for your helm or crew
Personally signed by the author
RYA Tactics by Mark Rushall sheds a new light on the complexities of sailboat racing. No other sport requires the combination of so many elements – preparation, strategy, speed, tuning and most importantly tactics. However, it’s good tactics which can so often be that elusive missing skill.
As one of the sports top tacticians and coaches, and 2006 RYA Squad Coach of the Year, Mark’s book will help you sail better and improve your results. With easy to follow and logical diagrams, this book breaks new ground in presenting this essential and complex element of our sport.
“Covering almost every conceivable tactical situation, the book is a real tour de force by Rushall….yet comprises one of the easiest to read tactical situation books we have come across.” The Daily Sail, 1 May 07
“This book has come about from years of sailing and coaching at the highest level by an extremely analytical person. Mark …. is one of those annoying people who learnt from every sailing / coaching experience and has built an extensive memory bank of tactical scenarios and understanding.”
Chips Howarth, Fireball World Champion 2005
Tactics is the most comprehensive and accessible guide to racing yet. Providing an awesome and unique insight of sailboat tactics, it breaks down the race to tell you exactly what to think about, how and when to do it, and most importantly, why you should be doing it! No matter what your level of racing experience, you’ll have something to learn from Mark Rushall….”
Georgie Corlett, Editor, Dinghy Sailing Magazine
Start your 2008 season ready prepared and don’t go afloat without having read RYA Tactics.
Order your personally signed copy from www.rushall.net or for UK delivery send a cheque for £16 including P&P to:
Mark Rushall Tactics
Watermark Offices, 8 Lumley Gardens, Lumley Road, Emsworth, Hants, PO10 8AG, UK
International orders – please email tactics@rushall.net and postage rates will be advised.
Also available from www.rya.org.uk and most leading chandleries and book stores.
ENDS
Dinghy Sailing
On a Neilson dinghy sailing holiday, everyone is welcome, from complete beginners to enthusiastic improvers and accomplished experts looking for sunshine and the best conditions. Our approach to dinghy sailing tuition, and the type and quantity of equipment varies from club to club, ensuring that whatever your needs we have a holiday to suit your requirements perfectly.
Sailing means many things to different people. Some like to potter around over crystal clear waters while others crave the excitement of zooming across the waves on a high performance skiff.
Whatever your level of experience, the sense of freedom that comes from sailing is hard to beat. We offer the best boats, instructors and sailing areas together with free RYA training courses, enabling you to step aboard and take advantage of our 25 years of sailing experience.
Dinghy Sailing Tuition
National Sailing Scheme
We work closely with the RYA in developing the National Sailing Scheme. This progressive approach to tuition provides a tried-and-tested way to learn to sail. Holidays shouldn’t feel like school, so we endeavour to make everything from your first taster to high performance race techniques, as much fun as possible!
Start Sailing - Level 1
Great for those new to learn to sail holidays, Level 1 provides a comprehensive introduction to dinghy sailing. It is designed to get you on the water using modern, single-handed dinghies and requires no previous experience.
The course covers a wide variety of skills to enable you to sail confidently such as; wind awareness, rigging basics, knots and sailing theory.
Start Sailing is available in all of our centres.
Basic Skills - Level 2
Level 2 aims to fine-tune the skills and boat handling manoeuvres learnt at Level 1. The course sets out the foundations of sailing with the aim of producing competent light wind sailors who are able to sail and make informed decisions in good conditions.
You can expect to learn more advanced techniques in a variety of craft including; rigging according to weather conditions, coming alongside a moored boat, capsize recovery and essential safety background.
Try Finikounda – Great for the progressing beginner. Holiday sailing at it’s best!
Seamanship Skills
Moving on from Basic Skills, the main focus of this course is fine-tuning skills already learnt and boat handling manoeuvres, whilst increasing your self-reliance and decision making skills.
Day Sailing
We are able to endorse most sections of this course, enabling competent sailors to confidently plan and execute a safe day cruise, aspects covered include pilotage, interpretation of charts and use of GPS.
Finikounda is the main place to go for day sailing.
Sailing with Spinnakers
Sailing with Spinnakers teaches you how to sail a dinghy rigged with an asymmetric or symmetric spinnaker and some trapezing.
Try Porto Heli for a fantastic destination for a sailing holiday with tuition.
Start Racing
You will learn to race a variety of craft from single handers to performance boats. The aim is to gain a good understanding of the rules and techniques of racing, including the course and starting sequence, boat preparation, tactics and racing rules.
Performance Sailing
This is an advanced course for experienced sailors using high performance craft and covers a range of sessions including rigging, tuning, teamwork, trapezing, hiking, tacking and downwind sailing.
Porto Heli is the ideal place for performance sailing.
Dinghy Sailing Equipment
Advances in design and technology have continued to make dinghy sailing easier and more enjoyable than ever before. We've selected tghe best craft from leading British manufacturers Laser and RS, equipping our clubs with a range of kit to suit local wind and conditions.
Laser Funboats
Stable, safe and fun! Perfect for children. Available in all centres except Dahab
Laser Pico
A perfect beginners’ boat with easy-to-use controls. Available in all centres
Laser 1
The classic Olympic class single hander. Exciting sailing. Available in all centres except Vassiliki
Laser 2000
A popular boat for families and friends looking for a stable hull but no shortage of features.
Available in Halkidiki, Sivota, Ortakent, Finikounda and Porto Heli,
Laser 3000
A performance machine ideally suited to teenagers and lighter crews. Fast action with a spinnaker and trapeze. Available in Finikounda
Laser Bahia
A stable and spacious cockpit with space for up to 5 adults, together with a light hull and large gennaker makes a great day sail and cruising boat, with a performance edge.
Available in Lemnos and Lesvos
Laser 4000
Serious fun in the fast lane. A high performance skiff with adjustable racks and a large sail area. With tuition and practice, the 4000 flies. Available in Finikounda and Porto Heli
Laser Stratos
A good size family cruiser, the Stratos is ideal for day sailing, combining stability and performance features.Available in Lemnos, Lesvos, Halkidiki, Finikounda and Porto Heli
Laser Vago XD
Unmatched handling, versatility and exhilarating performance are harnessed by Laser in a unique modern design with high spec sails and trapeze. Available in Lemnos, Lesvos and Dahab
Dart 16
A popular catamaran equally at home pottering around on a day sail or on a trapezing joyride. The Dart 16 is a firm favourite in our centres. Available in all centres
Optimist
The definitive youth racer, the Optimist has traditionally been the first step on the road to success for competitive young sailors. Available in Porto Heli and Finikounda
RS Feva
A versatile dinghy, introducing several advanced features on a user friendly craft suited to younger sailors.Available in Finikounda, Porto Heli, Lemnos and Lesvos
RS 200
An easy to sail dinghy that brings the excitement of asymmetric sailing to everybody, including lighter sailors and youngsters. Available in Porto Heli
RS 400
LDC’s modern classic, a hiking asymmetric. The ultimate choice for the ambitious improver.
Available in Porto Heli
RS 500
Exciting performance with a simple user friendly layout and easy handling.Available in Porto Heli
RS 800
An exciting high performance skiff with twin trapeze that is remarkably easy for competent sailors to master.Available in Porto Heli and Finikounda
29er
A fast, exciting ride, the 29er is a high performance boat ideally suited to light weight sailors and youth racing.Available in Porto Heli
Children and Sailing Holidays
Hot Shots provides RYA tuition for 8-12 year olds whilst Starfish, Sea Urchins, Surfbusters and Sharksters provide fun for younger children and those less inclined to get out on the water.
Hot Shots
The water based activity club, for those that want it all: sailing, windsurfing, kayaking, snorkelling and plenty of sunshine, Hot Shots is the place to be.
Our fully qualified instructors help your youngsters master new skills and get first timers confident in no time at all. In-fact all our RYA qualified instructors will help your Hot Shots improve quickly, with the RYA Youth Sailing Awards, available to those who want to prove their skills.
When not out on the water, Hot Shots enjoy loads of land-based activities and making new friends has never been easier.
If your children are particularly interested in dinghy sailing, they will benefit from choosing a resort that specialises in that particular activity, such as Porto Heli
Hot Shots is open to all children ages 8-12 years and is available for a supplement of £80-£150 per week with the second week half price.
Where to go
Hot Shots is avilable in Lemnos, Finikounda, Vassiliki, Porto Heli and Dahab.
When not in our clubs, children under the age of 13 are welcome to windsurf with their parents. Children must be 13 years or over before they can join the adult windsurfing programme.
Flotilla Holidays
Flotilla Holidays - Another day. Another destination.
Explore hidden treasures every day; share your adventures in the evening with fellow sailors.
Life on flotilla is a holiday that just gets better every day.
Flotilla sailing holidays allow you to enjoy the independence of sailing your very own yacht from port to port during the day, but you also get to choose between pleasant evenings in the warm company of your fellow sailors, or spending them peacefully on your own deck.
On arrival
The Neilson Team will be there to greet you on arrival and show you to your yacht. Your lead crew will then join you on board to answer any questions you may have, show you where everything is and just check that everything is ship shape.
The remainder of the afternoon and evening is then yours to spend as you wish - enjoy a refreshing drink on deck, get to know some of your fellow sailors, explore the local area or stock up on any additional provisioning you require. You are then fully prepared for the start of your adventure the following day.
A day in the life…
As the morning sun peeps over your bow, your lead crew will join you for a chat about the day ahead, confirming the evening’s destination together with some great places to explore and idyllic lunch stops. Then as soon as everything’s ready, you’re free to slip your lines and set sail.
It’s entirely up to you and your crew how you reach your destination. You may want to race there before everybody else or meander there, anchoring for a lunch break and swim in a secluded bay. With the yacht to yourself, the day is yours to enjoy as you please. And if you wish to hook up with other parties on your flotilla they’re just a VHF radio call away - as is your lead crew, in case you need any help or advice.
As the afternoon drifts into evening and you glide into port, your lead crew will be waiting ashore to help you into your mooring, catch your lines and point out the location of shower facilities, bars and tavernas at your latest destination.
As the sun sets, you can settle in at one of the local tavernas, swapping stories with your fellow sailors over a bottle of wine and a hearty local meal. Of course, if all that sailing and sightseeing has taken it out of you, you can simply stay on your yacht and cook a meal in your own galley. That’s the beauty of flotilla holidays.
Your Yachting Experience
Our flotilla holidays in Greece and Croatia flotilla holidays require varying levels of confidence and experience due to the different routes and wind conditions in each area. It is important you select the right area for your party to ensure your safety and enjoyment.
The minimum experience we require on a flotilla holiday is that at least two people aboard each yacht are aged 18 years or over and must have had several day's active experience in charge of a yacht.
If this level of experience cannot be satisfied a Stay and Sail holiday, coupled with an Introduction to Yachting or Brush Up training course should be completed
Skippered Charter
If you want to regain your confidence afloat or just share the beginning of your flotilla with a like-minded sailor then you can pre book a member of the Neilson yacht team to join you on a skippered charter. They will spend the day with you, sailing from one place to another before retiring to the lead boat in the evening, allowing your party the privacy to enjoy some time alone. This option is available for one to three days for a supplement of £100 per yacht per day.
Please note, this option is not suitable for beginners who should complete an Introduction to Yachting course.
Bareboat Charter
Our Bareboat sailing holidays gives more experienced sailors the freedom to sail where, when and however they please. No itinerary, no set routes and no one to bother you. Bareboat holidays are the ultimate getaway.
Plot your own route around the many picturesque bays, lively little harbour towns and fishing villages scattered about the coastlines of our huge sailing areas. Spend as long as you like at any stop, return to your favourite places over and over, or keep on the move to discover something new around every point.
Of course, since you’re with Neilson you’ll still have the benefit of our expertise. Before you depart, our bareboat co-ordinator will go through the route you’ve planned, pointing out the highlights of your journey. And it’s always worth picking their brains, because they often have a nugget of advice that could really make your holiday. And naturally, they’ll also call or text you each morning to pass on weather conditions and check that everything on the yacht is as it should be.
All of our Bareboat holidays are provided with the following:
• Full tanks of diesel, water and gas
• Marine insurance
• Flights and transfers
• Comprehensive tools and spares
• A quick fix manual for everyday repair and maintenance
• Handheld GPS
• Additional charts and pilot book
• Mobile phone and charger
• Extra warps
• Starter pack
• No damage waiver or deposit to pay
Bareboat Holidays support Includes:
• A dedicated bareboat co-ordinator
• A full skipper and engineer’s briefing
• Details of all flotilla routes, staff and contact numbers
Experience Levels
When booking bareboat holidaywe ask that at least two people aboard are aged 18 years or over and have plenty of sailing knowledge and experience, having been in charge of a sailing vessel for several cruises, possibly on previous flotilla holidays. Both must be comfortable sailing in a range of conditions. If this level of experience cannot be satisfied, a flotilla holiday may be more appropriate.
Sail Training Courses
Yacht Training Courses
It’s not as hard as you might imagine to pick up the skills to navigate a yacht around the Mediterranean coastline. With our tried and tested courses and fantastic yacht trainers, you will be sailing with confidence in no time at all. We offer a number of courses to suit all ages and abilities.
Introduction to Yachting - four days
A course designed to be fun but informative, equipping complete beginners with the knowledge and skills necessary to skipper their own yacht on flotilla.
The syllabus we follow is based on the RYA Keelboat Level 2 certificate. After having completed the course, followed by a second week on flotilla, most new sailors will be awarded their RYA Level 2 certificate.
The skills needed can be learnt in four days with tuition from our Royal Yachting Association qualified instructors. Whilst covering the necessary manoeuvres you will be hopping from pontoon to quayside to bay to harbour. Occasionally stopping for picnics, taverna lunches or swimming, there will be time to digest all that you are learning at a relaxed but steady pace.
A maximum of five guests will train per yacht with an instructor.
At the end of your course you’ll feel confident and competent enough to skipper your own yacht within a flotilla environment. Your lead crew will be aware of your training and will be on hand to offer their full support during your week afloat.
Brush-Up Course - two days
Ideal for those with a basic or fading knowledge of sailing, or experienced dinghy sailors looking to make the step to big boat sailing. This course is tailored around your existing experience and looks to build your ability to sail confidently once more. You will spend two days with one of our RYA instructors who will assist you in practising and reviewing the skills you wish to improve.
The Brush-Up course can also be suitable for confident, advanced dinghy sailors who sail regularly at a high level. This course enables you to transfer your well-practised dinghy skills onto a larger class of boat. Beginner or intermediate dinghy sailors should book the Introduction to Yachting course.
Private Courses - Ideal for Families
Our Private Introduction to Yachting and Brush-Up courses are designed for groups or families who wish to learn together, on the same yacht, up to a maximum of five people. The course content is the same as detailed previously but you are guaranteed to be learning as one group without having to share your training yacht with another party.
The added advantage of a private course is that we can welcome 13 to 15 year olds aboard when accompanied by a parent. Younger sailors will relish the opportunity to learn with their family as a forerunner to the flotilla week of their holiday.
Private courses are priced per yacht at four times the cost of the individual course.
One Week Learn to Sail
If you can only get away on holiday for one week or spending two weeks learning to sail is not an option for you, then our One week Learn to Sail holiday is a perfect solution - half the week will be spent at one of our yacht bases living on your yacht whilst learning to sail on the Introduction to Yachting course. For the second part of the week, you will join your fellow sailors on flotilla.
Sailing Holidays
Sailing Holidays are great for those who like to remain active on their vacation.
Techniques
Here you will find articles on a variety of different sailing techniques
Plans to drop cats as a youth class
The RYA has recently made submissions to ISAF to remove the catamaran as a youth boat for 2009, and to remove the catamaran as an Olympic boat for 2012.
These submissions by the RYA were made without any consultation with the sailing community. We request that the submissions are withdrawn before the ISAF conference in early November and replaced by alternative submissions which support the use of catamarans both in future Olympics (2012 and beyond) and for youth training.
CATAMARANS OUT OF OLYMPICS
Amazingly the ISAF Council voted the Multihull out after the Events Committee had recommended that the cats stay in.
starter Boat for 7 year old
My sister wants to get her seven year old into sailing, the Oppi would seem to be the obvious choice but waht about some of the newer designs like Tera, Taz, Open etc ?
Dinghy Sailing in the Midlands
OK a bit cold this time of year
, but I am looking for ideaas for presents for my partner.
Sailing Holidays
Ok help required, girl friend just arrived home for pile of holiday brochures. Usual girlie things of lying on the beach. I really want to do a sailing holiday, try out some new boats etc, can anyone help with experiences of Sunsail type holidays ?
New to Dinghy Sailing
I am looking to start Dinghy Sailing in the new year, will I learn anything by going to the boat show ?, or are there any good sailing magazines to read ?
Catamaran Sailing
Is catamaran sailing better than dinghy sailing?
Yacht Charter
Although I love dinghy sailing, thought I would try some yachting. Some friends are looking at bareboat charter.
Laser 4.7, Radial or Laser Standard
Thinking about a new sailing dinghy after my Topper Lasers seem to be the most popular, but am I best with 4.7 or Radial, what about the Olympic one
Sailing in Spain
Where is the best place for sailing in Spain
BBC Sport Personality of Year
Very disappointing not to see any sailors or any sailing action covered on last night's awards. Plenty of successes this year
Sailing Videos
We have now included videos of sailing action, these can be found at
Winter Sailing Clothing
Gosh wasn't it cold this weekend, my hands were really frozen, any ideas of the best winter sailing gloves ?
NEW Boats for Sale and Gear For Sale Section
SailRacer now has a new For Sale section, here you will find 000s of items For Sale
You can advertsie for FREE, now is the time of year to clear out your garage of all those unused sailing items. There are sections for Boats, Sails, Gear, Clothing, Trailers and TrolleysWhy have the RYA decided to launch a race results
In the past, the RYA have asked clubs to send in their data at the end of every year. The data captured is limited and often open to subjectivity and goes through little validation by the RYA before being used in the statistical number crunching. After a very detailed review of the PYS by the RYA, it was highlighted that the data been captured by the RYA was become less and less meaningful, which was being reflected in the declining amount of returns being received by the RYA.
By launching the RYA Race results website, in collaboration with Simon Lovesey and SailRacer, the RYA are starting to increase the accuracy and meaningfulness of the data being collected by going straight to the source; individual race results. By asking clubs to upload their race results, the RYA are getting raw race data. The raw race data is also being subjected to an analysis in accordance with the RYA guidelines, which again increases the accuracy of the data being returned.
In summary, the RYA hope to collect more data, which is more meaningful to clubs as well as nationally, and start to increase the sailing publics confidence in the system and the numbers published by the RYA.
Problem with Race Dates
Using Sailwave, I've combined all the results from every series (some 40 races) and purged any duplicates, etc. and uploaded the file via Sailwave to the site.
When I try to import each race file I get the 'Enter Race Date' message. No matter what I try it gets rejected. The error messages shows any date either entered or chosen from the Calendar as 1/12/2010 for example 1-DEC-2009=1/12/2010.
I've tried to confuse the transformation by a date combination that might give me 12/1/2010 but with no success.
The dates of the races do not matter, but each race does need manual changes before benchmarking.
How do I get around this??
Barry McGibbon
Lyme Regis Sailing Club
Mods to Suggested Handicaps Page
Hi Simon,
Benchmarking – why have I never heard of it befo
I would like understand the arithmetic the website is using. Is it the same as the YR2 spreadsheet ? If I set the benchmark to a class, does it adjust the others in relation to the benchmark or does it use the SCT of the top 2/3 of the fleet as YR2 spreadsheet.
Does it ignore POOR PERFORMERS ?
Where is the manual you refer to.
Mike Swingler
Flushing Sailing Club
Incorrect Data - GIGO ?
I was intending to import all the race results for our club. I loaded a few but it then occured to me that I may be doing something which is causing PYS to spit out odd handicap information. Our club sails in two fleets, slow and fast, but the results are held in a single Sailwave file. Sailwave formats out the results for the two fleets so that they appear nicely separated on our web site. The slow and fast fleets often sail different courses so there is no correlation between the times recorded for each fleet.
Does PYS treat all the boats in a race as sailing the same course or does it "notice" the fleet information and treat them, in our case, as two separate sets of results and calculate the corrected and on a fleet basis ?
Kerry Stares
:''"Young girl" and "Fille" redirect here. This article is about young human females. For other uses, see Girl (disambiguation), Young girl (disambiguation), and Fille (disambiguation).'' File:Khumi Girl 1.jpg
thumb
250 px
A girl {{pp-semi-protected
small=yes}} A '''girl''' is any female human from birth through childhood and adolescence to attainment of adulthood when she becomes a woman. The term may also be used to mean a ''young woman''.<ref name="girl"/> The word is also often used as a synonym for ''daughter''.<ref>http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/girl</ref> ==Etymology== The English word ''girl'' first appeared during the Middle Ages between 1250 and 1300 CE and came from the Old English language
Anglo-Saxon words ''gerle'' (also spelled ''girle'' or ''gurle'').<ref>''Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary'' (1913), ''[http://dictionary.die.net/girl girl]'', retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> The Old English language
Anglo-Saxon word ''gerela'' meaning ''dress'' or ''clothing item'' also seems to have been used as a metonym in some sense.<ref name="girl">dictionary.com, ''[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/girl girl]'', retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> File:Young Peul girl in Mali.jpg
thumb
150 px
A girl from Mali ''Girl'' has meant ''any young unmarried woman'' since about 1530. Its first noted meaning for ''sweetheart'' is 1648. The earliest known appearance of ''girlfriend
girl-friend'' is in 1892 and ''girl next door'', meant as a teenaged female or young woman with a kind of wholesome appeal, dates only to 1961.<ref>Online Etymology Dictionary, ''[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=girl&searchmode=none girl]'', retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> ===Usage for adults=== The word ''girl'' is sometimes used to refer to an adult female. This usage may be considered derogatory or disrespectful in professional or other formal contexts, just as the term ''boy'' can be considered disparaging when applied to an adult man. Hence, this usage is often deprecative.<ref name="girl"/> It can also be used deprecatively when used to discriminate against children ("''you're just a girl''"). In casual context, the word has positive uses, as evidenced by its use in titles of popular music. It has been used playfully for people acting in an energetic fashion (Canadian singer Nelly Furtado's "Promiscuous Girl") or as a way of unifying women of all ages on the basis of their once having been girls (American country singer Martina McBride's "This One's for the Girls"). These positive uses mean ''gender'' rather than ''age''. ==Demographics== {{see also
Female infanticide}} File:Colorful Girl near Momostenango.jpg
thumb
150px
Girl in Guatemala Slightly more boys are born than girls (in the US this ratio is about 105 boys born for every 100 girls), but girls are slightly less likely to die than boys, during childhood, so that the ratio for under 15 years of age is 104 boys for every 100 girls.<ref>{{cite web
title=CIA Fact Book
url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html#People
publisher=The Central Intelligence Agency of the United States}}</ref><ref>in-gender.com, ''[http://www.in-gender.com/xyu/Odds/Gender_Odds.aspx The Odds of Having a Boy or a Girl]'', retrieved 8 January 2009</ref> Since the 18th century the human sex ratio has been observed as about 1,050 boys for every 1,000 girls born and Sex-selective abortion and infanticide
sex selection on the part of parents further lessens the number of female births. While patriarchy
patriarchal beliefs have led to female infanticide (the killing of female infants) since ancient times, it is a persistent practice in some regions of the world today. It is a significant problem in India and China in particular. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) State of the World Population Report indicates that these practices, combined with neglect, have resulted in at least 60 million "missing" girls in Asia. Large numbers of adult women are absent from the population in some regions, a consequence of female infanticide during recent decades. Census information shows the problem is worsening. In India overall, by 2011, there were little more than 9 girls younger than 6 years old for every 10 boys. The 2011 census showed that the ratio of girls to boys under the age of 6 years old has dropped even during the past decade, from 927 girls for every 1000 boys in 2001 to 918 girls for every 1000 boys in 2011. Maharashtra state's ratio is 883 girls, and Satara is even lower at 881. Hospitals in India are banned from giving out the gender of an unborn fetus to prevent sex-selection abortions, although evidence indicates that the information is often revealed.<ref>{{cite web
last=Babu
first=Chaya
title=285 Indian girls no longer called "unwanted"
url=http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44998378/ns/world_news-wonderful_world/#.TqM3EHO0x-k
publisher=MSNBC, Associated Press
accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref> Steven Mosher, president of the Population Research Institute in Washington, D.C. has said: "Twenty-five million men in China currently can’t find brides because there is a shortage of women [...] young men emigrate overseas to find brides." The gender imbalance in these regions is also blamed for spurring growth in the commercial sex trade; the UN's 2005 report states that up to 800,000 people being trafficked across borders each year, and as many as 80 percent are women and girls.<ref>{{cite news
last=Karabin
first=Sherry
title=Infanticide, Abortion Responsible for 60 Million Girls Missing in Asia
url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,281722,00.html
accessdate=October 11, 2011
work=Fox News}}</ref> ==Biology== Girls develop female characteristics by inheriting two X chromosomes (XX), one from each parent.<ref>[http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003269.htm Ambiguous genitalia] retrieved 3 February 2012</ref> About one in a thousand girls have a 47,XXX karyotype, and one in 2500 have a 45,X one. Girls typically have a human female reproductive system
female reproductive system. Some intersex children with ambiguous genitals, and genetically male transgender children, may also be classified or self-identify as girls.<ref>[http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=ftHV7JM18C8C&pg=PA111&dq=&hl=en&sa=X&ei=BbqPT4bHGZTW8QPv6J2wBA&ved=0CDMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=&f=false Ethics And Intersex] Sharon E. Sytsma</ref> ==Gender and environment== File:Girlgenderrole3.jpg
thumb
150 px
A girl plays with paper dolls. Biological sex interacts with environment in ways not fully understood. Biological sex interacts with environment in ways not fully understood.<ref>Salon.com, Kurt Kleiner, ''[http://dir.salon.com/story/books/review/2003/06/19/ridley/ A mind of their own]'' (book review of ''Nature via Nurture'' by Matt Ridley), 19 June 2003, retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> Identical twin girls separated at birth and reunited decades later have shown both startling similarities and differences.<ref>BBC, Jane Beresford, ''[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7152762.stm Twins reunited, after 35 years apart]'', 31 December 2007, retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> In 2005 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." Wallen said gender differences emerge very early and come about through an underlying preference males and females have for their chosen activities. ==Girls' education== {{Main
Female education
Gender and education}} File:Young female students at Samangan.jpg
thumb
left
200 px
School girls in Afghanistan Girls' equal access to education has been achieved in some countries, but there are significant disparities in the majority. There are gaps in access between different regions and countries and even within countries. Girls account for 60 per cent of children out of school in Arab countries and 66 per cent of non-attendees in South and West Asia; however, more girls than boys attend schools in many countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, North America and Western Europe.<ref name="PLAN International">{{cite web
title=Paying the Price: The economic cost of failing to educate girls
url=http://plan-international.org/files/global/publications/education/girls_education_economics.pdf
publisher=PLAN International
accessdate=October 11, 2011}}</ref> Research has measured the economic cost of this inequality to developing countries: Plan International’s analysis shows that a total of 65 low, middle income and transition countries fail to offer girls the same secondary school opportunities as boys, and in total, these countries are missing out on annual economic growth of an estimated $92 billion.<ref name="PLAN International"/> Although the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights has asserted "primary education shall be compulsory and available free to all" girls are slightly less likely to be enrolled as students in primary and secondary schools (70%:74% and 59%:65%). Worldwide efforts have been made to end this disparity (such as through the Millennium Development Goals) and the gap has closed since 1990.<ref name=UNICEF>[http://unicef.org/publications/index_18108.html The State of the World's Children 2004 - Girls, Education and Development ], UNICEF, 2004</ref> ===Educational environment and expectations=== Image:Lakhiganj HSS.jpg
thumb
right
School girls in the classroom, Lakhiganj High School, Assam, India. According to Kim Wallen, expectations will nonetheless play a role in how girls perform academically. For example, if females skilled in math are told a test is "gender neutral" they achieve high scores, but if they are told males outperformed females in the past, the females will do much worse. "What’s strange is," Wallen observed, "according to the research, all one apparently has to do is tell a woman who has a lifetime of socialization of being poor in math that a math test is gender neutral, and all effects of that socialization go away."<ref>Emory University website, ''[http://www.emory.edu/ACAD_EXCHANGE/2005/sept/wallenqa.html Women's work?]'', September 2005, retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> Author Judith Harris has said that aside from their genetic contribution, the nurturing provided by parents likely has less long-term influence over their offspring than other environmental aspects such as the children's peer group.<ref>PBS.org, ''[http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/health/july-dec98/naturenurture_10-20.html Nature vs. nurture]'', 20 October 1998, retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> In England, studies by the National Literacy Trust have shown girls score consistently higher than boys in all scholastic areas from the ages of 7 through 16, with the most striking differences noted in reading and writing skills.<ref name="literacytrust">literacytrust.org, ''[http://www.literacytrust.org.uk/database/stats/englandstats.html Literacy achievement in England, including gender split]'', 2007, retrieved 7 December 2008</ref> In the United States, historically, girls lagged on standardized tests. In 1996 the average score of 503 for US girls from all races on the SAT verbal test was 4 points lower than boys. In math, the average for girls was 492, which was 35 points lower than boys. "When girls take the exact same courses," commented Wayne Camara, a research scientist with the College Board, "that 35-point gap dissipates quite a bit." At the time Leslie R. Wolfe, president of the Center for Women Policy Studies said girls scored differently on the math tests because they tend to work the problems out while boys use "test-taking tricks" such as immediately checking the answers already given in multiple-choice questions. Wolfe said girls are steady and thorough while "boys play this test like a pin-ball machine." Wolfe also said although girls had lower SAT scores they consistently get higher grades than boys across all courses their first year in college.<ref>New York Times, Katherine Q Seelye, ''[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0DE0DE1F39F937A25750C0A961958260 Group Seeks to Alter S.A.T. to Raise Girls' Scores]'', 14 March 1997, retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> By 2006 girls were outscoring boys on the verbal portion of the United States' nation-wide SAT exam by 11 points.<ref>ABC News, John Berman, ''[http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/story?id=2376202 Girls Achieve Rare SAT Scores]'', 30 August 2006, retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> A 2005 University of Chicago study showed that a majority presence of girls in the classroom tends to enhance the academic performance of boys.<ref>harrisschool.uchicago.edu, ''[http://harrisschool.uchicago.edu/about/publications/research-report/rr2006/classrooms.asp Girl-Dominated Classrooms Can Improve Boys’ Early School Performance]'', retrieved 2 January 2008</ref> ==International initiatives for girls' rights== File:A big smile from Mauretania.jpg
thumb
right
150px
An Adolescence
adolescent girl from Mauritania File:Little joys.jpg
thumb
150 px
Indian girls The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1988) and Millennium Development Goals (2000) promoted better access to education for all girls and boys and to eliminate gender disparities at both primary and secondary level. Worldwide school enrolment and literacy rates for girls have improved continuously. 2005, global primary net enrolment rates were 85 per cent for girls, up from 78 per cent 15 years earlier; at the secondary level, girls’ enrolment increased 10 percentage points to 57 per cent over the same period.<ref name="PLAN International"/> A number of international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have created programs focussing on addressing disparities in girls' access to such necessities as food, healthcare and education. CAMFED is one organization active in providing education to girls in sub-Saharan Africa. PLAN International's "Because I am a Girl" campaign is a high-profile example of such initiatives. PLAN's research has shown that educating girls can have a powerful ripple effect, boosting the economies of their towns and villages; providing girls with access to education has also been demonstrated to improve community understanding of health matters, reducing HIV rates, improving nutritional awareness, reducing birthrates and improving infant health. Research demonstrates that a girl who has received an education will: * Earn up to 25 percent more and reinvest 90 percent in her family. * Be three times less likely to become HIV-positive. * Have fewer, healthier children who are 40 percent more likely to live past the age of five.<ref>{{cite web
title=CAMFED USA: What we do
url=http://us.camfed.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home_index
publisher=CAMFED
accessdate=October 11, 2011}}</ref> Plan International also created a campaign to establish an International Day of the Girl. The goals of this initiative are to raise global awareness of the unique challenges facing girls, as well as the key role they have in addressing larger poverty and development challenges. A delegation of girls from Plan Canada introduced the idea 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 in February 2011. 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. <ref>{{cite web
title=Canada Calls on Member States to Proclaim International Day of the Girl (News Release October 11, 2011)
url=http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/med/news-nouvelles/2011/1011-eng.html
publisher=Status of Women Canada
accessdate=October 11, 2011}}</ref> The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted an International Day of the Girl Child on December 19, 2011. The first International Day of the Girl Child is October 11, 2012. Its most recent research has led PLAN International to identify a need to coordinate projects that address boys' roles in their communities, as well as finding ways of including boys in activities that reduce gender discrimination. Since political, religious and local community leaders are most often men, men and boys have great influence over any effort to improve girls' lives and achieve 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. Egyptian religious leader Sheikh Saad, who has campaigned against the practice, is quoted in the report: “We have decided that our daughter will not go through this bad, inhumane experience [...] I am part of the change.”<ref>{{cite news
title=‘Because I am a Girl’ group finds boys matter, too
url=http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1054768
publisher=Toronto Star
accessdate=October 11, 2011}}</ref> ==Art and literature== File:Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of a Young Girl - WGA20359.jpg
thumb
150 px
right
Peter Paul Rubens - Portrait of a Young Girl File:Anderson Sophie The Time Of The Lilacs.jpg
thumb
150 px
left
''The Time Of The Lilacs'', by Sophie Gengembre Anderson. Historically, art and literature in Western culture has portrayed girls as symbols of innocence, purity, virtue and hope. Art of Ancient Egypt
Egyptian murals included sympathetic portraits of young girls who were daughters of royalty. Sappho's poetry carries love poems addressed to girls. In Europe, some early paintings featuring girls were Petrus Christus' ''Portrait of a Young Girl'' (about 1460), Juan de Flandes' ''Portrait of a Young Girl'' (about 1505), Frans Hals' ''[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frans_Hals_004.jpg Die Amme mit dem Kind]'' in 1620, Diego Velázquez' ''Las Meninas'' in 1656, Jan Steen's ''The Feast of St. Nicolas'' (about 1660) and Johannes Vermeer's ''Girl with a Pearl Earring'' along with ''[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jan_Vermeer_van_Delft_003.jpg Girl Reading a Letter at an Open Window]''. Later paintings of girls include Albert Anker's portrait of a ''[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Albert_Anker_001.jpg Girl with a Domino Tower]'' and Camille Pissarro's 1883 ''[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Camille_Pissarro_033.jpg Portrait of a Felix Daughter]''. Mary Cassatt painted many famous Impressionist works that idealize the innocence of girls and the mother-daughter bond, for example her 1884 work ''[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cassatt_Mary_Children_on_the_Beach_1884_.jpg Children on the Beach]'' During the same era, James McNeill Whistler
Whistler's ''Harmony in Gray and Green: Miss Cicely Alexander'' and ''The White Girl'' depict girls in the same light. The European children's literature canon includes many notable works with young female protagonists. Traditional fairy tales have preserved memorable stories about girls. Among these are ''Goldilocks and the Three Bears'', ''Rapunzel'', ''The Princess and the Pea'' and the Brothers Grimm's ''Little Red Riding Hood''. Well-known children's books about girls include ''Alice in Wonderland'', ''Heidi'', ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', the Nancy Drew series, ''Little House on the Prairie'', ''Madeline'', ''Pippi Longstocking'', ''A Wrinkle in Time'', ''Dragonsong'', and Little Women. Beginning in the late Victorian era, more nuanced depictions of girl protagonists became popular. Hans Christian Andersen's ''The Little Match Girl'', ''The Little Mermaid'', and other tales featured themes that ventured into tragedy. ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' by Lewis Carroll featured a widely noted female protagonist confronting eccentric characters and intellectual puzzles in surreal settings. Moreover, Carroll's controversial photographs of girls are often cited in histories of photographic art. Literature followed different cultural currents, sometimes romanticizing and idealizing girlhood, and at other times developing under the influence of the growing literary realism movement. Many Victorian novels begin with the childhood of their heroine, such as ''Jane Eyre'', an orphan who suffers ill treatment from her guardians and then at a girls' boarding school. The character Natasha in ''War and Peace'', on the other hand, is sentimentalized. By the 20th century, the portrayal of girls in fiction had for the most part abandoned idealized portrayals of girls. Popular literary novels include Harper Lee's ''To Kill a Mockingbird'' in which a young girl, Scout, is faced with the awareness of the forces of bigotry in her community. Vladimir Nabokov's controversial book ''Lolita'' (1955) is about a doomed relationship between a 12 year old girl and an adult scholar as they travel across the United States. ''Zazie dans le métro'' (Zazie in the Metro) (1959) by Raymond Queneau is a popular French novel that humorously celebrates the innocence and precocity of Zazie, who ventures off on her own to explore Paris, escaping from her uncle (a professional female impersonator) and her mother (who is preoccupied by a meeting with her lover). Zazie was also made into a popular movie in 1960 (''Zazie dans le métro'') by French director Louis Malle. Books which have both boy and girl protagonists have tended to focus more on the boys, but important girl characters appear in ''Knight's Castle'', ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'', ''The Book of Three (novel)
The Book of Three'' and the Harry Potter series. Recent novels with an adult audience have included reflections on girlhood experiences. ''Memoirs of a Geisha'' by Arthur Golden begins as the female main character and her sister are dropped off in the pleasure district after being separated from their family in 19th century Japan. "Snow Flower and the Secret Fan" by Lisa See traces the laotong (old sames) bond of friendship between a pair of childhood friends in modern Beijing, and the parallel friendship of their ancestors in 19th century Hunan, China. ==Popular culture== File:Harajuku girl.jpg
thumb
120 px
A teenage girl with a modern hairstyle in Harajuku, Tokyo. There have been many American comic books and comic strips featuring a girl as the main character such as Little Lulu and Little Orphan Annie. In superhero comic books an early girl character was Etta Candy, one of Wonder Woman's sidekicks. In the Peanuts series (by Charles M. Schulz
Charles Schulz) girl characters include Peppermint Patty, Lucy van Pelt and Sally Brown. In Japanese anime
animated cartoons and manga
comic books girls are often protagonists. Most of Hayao Miyazaki's animated films feature a young girl heroine, as in ''Majo no takkyubin'' (Kiki's Delivery Service). There are many other girl protagonists in the Shojo style of manga, which is targeted to girls as an audience. Among these are ''The Wallflower (manga)
The Wallflower'', ''Ceres, Celestial Legend'', Tokyo Mew Mew and ''Full Moon (manga)
Full Moon o Sagashite''. Meanwhile, some genres of Japanese cartoons may feature sexualized and objectified portrayals of girls. The term ''girl'' is widely heard in the lyrics of popular music (such as with the song "About a Girl (Nirvana song)
About a Girl"), most often meaning a young adult or teenaged female. ==History== File:BlockStatueOfSenenmutAndNeferura-LeftProfile-BritishMuseum-August19-08.jpg
thumb
left
150 px
Princess Neferure as a girl, sitting on the lap of her tutor Senenmut. Girls and women in Ancient Egypt enjoyed a relatively high social status. The status of girls throughout world history is closely related to the status of women in any culture. Where women enjoy a more equal status with men, girls benefit from greater attention to their needs. ===Girls' education=== In Ancient Egypt, the princess Neferure grew up under the reign of her mother, the woman Pharaoh Hatshepsut, who had inherited the throne after the death of her husband Thutmose II. Women in Ancient Egypt had a relatively high status in society, and as the daughter of the pharaoh, Neferura was provided with the best education possible. Her tutors were the most trusted advisors of her mother. She grew up to take on an important role by taking on the duties of a queen while her mother was pharaoh.<ref name="Tyldesley1">Tyldesley, Joyce. Chronicle of the Queens of Egypt. p.98 Thames & Hudson. 2006. ISBN 0-500-05145-3</ref> Despite the fact that women and men had a great deal of equality in Ancient Egypt, there were still important divisions in gender roles. Men worked as scribes for the government, for example, whereas women would often work at occupations tied to the home, such as farming, baking bread and brewing beer; however, a large number of women, particularly from the upper classes, worked in business and traded at markets, as perfumers, and some women also worked in temples. For this reason, girls' and boys' education differed. Boys could attend formal schools to learn how to read, write, and do math, while girls would be educated at home to learn the occupations of their mothers. Some women did become literate and were scholars, however, such as Hypatia.<ref>{{cite web
last=Janet H. Johnson
title=Women's Legal Rights in Ancient Egypt
url=http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777190170/
publisher=University of Chicago, 2004
accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
last=Dr. Joann Fletcher
title=From Warrior Women to Female Pharaohs: Careers for Women in Ancient Egypt
url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/egyptians/women_01.shtml
publisher=BBC
accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref> File:El bieta I lat 13.jpg
thumb
150 px
The future Elizabeth I of England at age 13 years. Girls' formal education has traditionally been considered far less important than that of boys. In Europe, exceptions were rare before the printing press and the Reformation made literacy more widespread. One notable exception to the general neglect of girls' literacy is Queen Elizabeth I. In her case, as a child she was in a precarious position as a possible heir to the throne, and her life was in fact endangered by the political scheming of other powerful members of the court. Following the execution of her mother, Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was considered illegitimate. Her education was for the most part ignored by Henry VIII. Remarkably, Henry VIII's widow, Catherine Parr, took an interest in the high intelligence of Elizabeth, and supported the decision to provide her with an impressive education after Henry's death, starting when Elizabeth was 9.<ref>{{cite web
title=Learning Zone Class Clips: Childhood and Education of Elizabeth I
url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/the-childhood-and-education-of-elizabeth-i/5235.html
publisher=BBC Learning Zone
accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref> Elizabeth received an education equal to that of a prominent male aristocrat; she was educated in Latin, Greek, Spanish, French, philosophy, history, mathematics and music. England reaped the reward of her rich education when circumstances resulted in her becoming a capable monarch. By the 18th century, Europeans recognized the value of literacy, and schools were opened to educate the public in growing numbers. Education in the Age of Enlightenment in France led to up to a third of women becoming literate by the time of the French Revolution, contrasting with roughly half of men by that time.<ref>{{cite book
last=Melton, James Van Horn.
title=The Rise of the Public in Enlightenment Europe
year=2001
publisher=Cambridge University Press
location=Cambridge}}</ref> However, education was still not considered as important for girls as for boys, who were being trained for professions that remained closed to women, and girls were not admitted to secondary level schools in France until the late 19th century. Girls were not entitled to receive a Baccalauréat
Baccalaureate diploma in France until the reforms of 1924 under education minister Léon Bérard. Schools were segregated in France until the end of World War II. Since then, compulsory education laws have raised the education of girls and young women throughout Europe. ==="Coming of age" customs=== Many cultures have traditional customs to mark the "coming of age" of a girl or boy, to recognize their transition to adulthood, or to mark other milestones of their journey to maturity as children. Japan has a coming-of-age ritual called Shichi-Go-San (???), which literally means "Seven-Five-Three". This is a traditional rite of passage and festival day in Japan for three- and seven-year-old girls and three- and five-year-old boys, held annually on November 15. It is generally observed on the nearest weekend. On this day, the girl will be dressed in a traditional kimono, and will be taken to a temple by her family for a blessing ceremony. Nowadays, the occasion is also marked with a formal photo portrait. Some coming-of-age ceremonies are religious rituals to recognize a girl's maturity with respect to her understanding of religious beliefs, and to recognize her changing role in her religious community. Confirmation is a ceremony common to many Christian denominations for both boys and girls, usually taking place when the child is in their teen years. In Roman Catholic communities, Confirmation ceremonies are considered one of seven sacraments that a Catholic may receive during their life. In many countries, it is traditional for Catholics children to undergo another sacrament, First Communion, at the age of 7 years old. The sacrament is usually performed in a church once a year, with children who are of age receive a blessing from a Bishop in a special ceremony. It is traditional in many countries for Catholic girls to wear white dresses and possibly a small veil or wreath of flowers in their hair to their First Communion. The white dress symbolizes spiritual purity. Many coming-of-age ceremonies are to acknowledge the passing of a girl through puberty, when she experiences menarche, or her first menstruation. The traditional Apache coming-of-age ceremony for girls is called the ''na'ii'ees'' (Sunrise Ceremony), and takes place over four days. The girls are painted with clay and pollen, which they must not wash off until the end of the rituals, which involve dancing and rituals that challenge physical strength. Girls are given teaching in aspects of sexuality, confidence, and healing ability. The girls pray in the direction of the east at dawn, and in the four cardinal directions, which represent the four stages of life. This ceremony was banned by the U.S. government for many decades; after being decriminalized by the Indian Religious Freedom Act in 1978, it has seen a revival. <ref>{{cite news
last=Paul L. Allen
title=Coming of age: Apache twins Fayreen and Farren Holden are welcomed into adulthood in a four-day tribal ceremony
url=http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/index.php?page=history_culture&story_id=072601sunrise
newspaper=Tucson Citizen
date=2001-07-26}}</ref> ===Preparing girls for marriage=== File:Fotothek df pk 0000212 003.jpg
thumb
150 px
A postwar German girl helps her mother, who is struggling for income, prepare food to sell, 1946. In many ancient societies, girls' upbringing had much to do with preparing them to be future wives. In many cultures, it was not the norm for women to be economically independent. Thus, where a girl's future well-being depended upon marrying her to a man who was economically self-sufficient, it was crucial to prepare her to meet whatever qualities or skills were popularly expected of wives. In cultures ranging from Ancient Greece to the 19th century United States, girls have been taught such essential domestic skills as sewing, cooking, gardening, and basic hygiene and medical care such as preparing balms and salves, and in some cases midwife skills. These skills would be taught from generation to generation, with the knowledge passed down orally from mother to daughter. A well-known reference to these important women's skills is in the folk tale Rumpelstiltskin, which dates back to Medieval Germany and was collected in written form by the folklorists the Brothers Grimm. The miller's daughter is valued as a potential wife because of her reputation for being able to spin straw into gold. In some parts of China, beginning in the Southern Tang kingdom in Nanjing (937-975), the custom of foot binding was associated with upper class women who were worthy of a life of leisure, and husbands who could afford to spare them the necessity of work (which would require the ability to be mobile and spend the day on their feet). Because of this belief, parents hoping to ensure a good marriage for their daughters would begin binding their feet from about the age of seven years old to achieve the ideal appearance. The tinier the feet, the better the social rank of a future husband. This practice did not end until the early years of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite web
last=Heather J. Hasan
title=The Art of Foot-Binding - Chinese Culture
url=http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29600.asp
publisher=Bella Online
accessdate=October 22, 2011}}</ref> China has had many customs tied to girls and their roles as future wives and mothers. According to one custom, a girl's way of wearing her hair would indicate her marital status. An unmarried girl would wear her hair in two "pigtails", and once married, she would wear her hair in one.<ref>{{cite book
last=Perkins
first=Dorothy
title=Encyclopedia of China: The Essential Reference to China, Its History and Culture.
year=2000
publisher=Checkmark Books
location=New York, NY}}</ref> In some cultures, girls' passing through puberty is viewed with concern for a girl's chastity. In some communities, there is a traditional belief that female genital mutilation is a necessity to prevent a girl from becoming sexually promiscuous. The practice is dangerous, however, and leads to long-term health problems for women who have undergone it. The practice has been a custom in 28 countries of Africa, and persists mainly in rural areas. This coming-of-age custom, sometimes incorrectly described as "female circumcision", is being outlawed by governments, and challenged by human rights groups and other concerned community members, who are working to end the practice. ==Girls' games and other pastimes== {{further
Girls' games and toys}} Girls' pastimes, such as games and other leisure activities, reflect the customs of their communities. Girls' games and toys are a large yet difficult market for the children's toy industry. Creating games and toys that can be mass-marketed to girls is challenging for today's toy companies. <gallery> File:Henna girl.jpg
A girl applying henna art in Morocco. File:Gymnastics-07923-nevit.jpg
Girl in Turkey practicing gymnastics File:Kecakurd.jpg
Kurdish girl File:Kampung Punjut Orang Asli girls playing.jpg
Jakun people
Jakun girls playing pick-up sticks, Malaysia. </gallery> ==See also== {{Commons category
Girls}} {{Wiktionary
girl}} *Boy *Female infanticide *Girl group *Girl Guide and Girl Scout
Girl Guides *Girl Power *Tomboy *Woman ==References== {{reflist
2}} Category:Childhood Category:Terms for females