Survey Says!

It may be fiction to many, but to some of us, the issues in the novel Push by the poet Sapphire are very real. The Crittenton Youth Advisory Board wanted to know “How real?” Inspired by the novel Push, and the powerful film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire, The Crittenton Youth Advisory Board created a survey and initiated an ongoing conversation on the challenges and issues facing teen women today.

99 of the teen women Crittenton serves responded. This is what they said.

What Teen Women Feel:

The findings demonstrate the impact of violence, sexual pressure and low self esteem on teen women; our survey correlates with the facts.

59% have felt voiceless at one time in their lives
54% have been subjected to physical force from someone in their home
40% do not trust that when they tell a teacher about an issue, that they really care and will help
37% have witnessed their parents or guardians hitting each other
31% have been touched in an unwelcomed way by someone close to them
18% have been in a relationship with a boyfriend or girlfriend who used physical force with them

The Issues:

Consider the facts:

1 in 3 teenagers report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner.¹(teensagainstabuse.org)
1 in 4 teenage girls who have been in relationships reveal they have been pressured to perform oral sex or engage in intercourse.¹(teensagainstabuse.org)
Nearly 80% of girls who have been physically abused in their intimate relationships continue to date their abuser.¹(teensagainstabuse.org)
Nearly 1 in 4 girls who have been in a relationship (23%) reported going further sexually than they wanted as a result of pressure. (stayteen.org)
62% of tweens (age 11-14) who have been in a relationship say they know friends who have been verbally abused (called stupid, worthless, ugly, etc.) by a boyfriend or girlfriend. (loveisnotabuse.com)
In the US today, nearly half of all 15-19 year olds have had sex at least once ¹; a third of teens become pregnant before age 20. (guttmacher.org)

What it Means

Facts are numbers; they hint at the problem but don’t really explain what it is or why it exists. The choices teen girls make, and the resulting facts they produce, are influenced by the challenging circumstances they live in.

The facts alone do not connect the dots; our survey does.

Lack of Empowerment, Lack of Self-Worth

Young women who have been touched in an unwelcomed manner by someone close to them are more likely to feel voiceless.
Young women who were subject to physical force from someone in their home are less likely to consider themselves to be as good as anybody else

Physical, Emotional and Sexual Abuse and Trauma

Young women who witnessed their parents or guardians hitting each other were more likely to:

have been subjected to physical force
have been touched in an unwelcomed manner by someone they knew
currently have someone in their lives who causes them to feel badly about themselves
have felt voiceless at some point in their lives

Young women who witnessed their parents or guardians hitting each other were less likely to:

believe that their parents or guardians play an active role in their lives
believe that they have received the support necessary to accomplish their goals
feel that they are “as good as anybody else”
feel that they are “in control of their own destiny”

Young women who have been touched in an unwelcomed manner by someone they knew were less likely to:

feel respected by the people in their lives
believe that they are as good as anybody else
believe that they have control over their own destiny

Lack of Goals or Self-Motivation

Young women subject to physical force from someone in their home are less likely to feel in control of their own destiny

Support and Safety

Young women who have been touched in an unwelcomed way by someone close to them are significantly less likely to feel safe at home.

Young women who were subjected to physical force from someone in their home are less likely to feel safe both at home and at school.

Young women who were subjected to physical force from someone in their home, are less likely to believe that other people care about their success or that they achieve their goals.

Young women who were subjected to physical force from someone in their home are less likely to think that their parents or guardians play an active role in their lives.