GLASGOW is the second worst place in Scotland to grow up if you are a girl, according to a report.

Research involving 1000 girls and young women measured rights and quality of life using indicators including poverty, life expectancy and their “Neet” status - not in education, employment or training.

It found that potential for girls aged 14-21 was “largely determined by birthplace.”

Dundee was rated the worst place in Scotland for girls to grow up while Orkney came out top (in Scotland and the UK) and East Renfrewshire ranked second.

More than half of those surveyed in Scotland (56%) said they have personally encountered a situation where they believe they would have been treated better if they were male.

Six in 10 girls in Scotland (59%) said they believe males are treated better than females in the UK.

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A spokeswoman for Glasgow City Council said the fact that many of its top jobs were held by women, including council leader Susan Aitken, was encouraging female pupils to “set their sights high.”

Plan International UK, which carried out the research, said the findings should serve as a “wake-up call” for politicians that current policies do not go far enough to tackle gender based inequality.

Other key findings included that girls do not feel safe in public, still face inequality in the classroom, and that their voices are not being heard.

The study also found girls’ bodies are constantly scrutinised and stigmatised and cultural pressure to look a certain way remains a key source of anxiety in their lives.

Rose Caldwell, chief executive of Plan International UK, saidL“As we enter 2020, it is encouraging to see that Scotland is leading the movement for giving girls greater access to opportunity and equality.

“But sadly our report finds that girls across the UK, including in Scotland, still feel disempowered and unable to realise their rights, with their potential largely determined by birthplace.

“Girls are told they can succeed, but they face a threat to their safety in public, online and in schools. They are told gender equality has been achieved, and yet they do not feel represented or heard by those in power.

“If adolescent girls are feeling undervalued, unheard and under-represented in public life, we as a society are letting them down. This simply cannot continue.”

The report outlines a series of recommendations to tackle the key challenges that girls face, including stopping street harassment, ending stigma around menstruation, and remodelling girls’ experiences of school.

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “Our schools strive to empower all our young people by teaching them their rights and instilling them with the confidence and self-belief to expect equality and challenge discrimination of any kind. “Regardless of gender, we teach them that they can achieve their dreams and secure success through hard work and determination.

“Many top jobs at the council are held by women. Given that the Leader of the council, Chief Executive and Director of Education are all female, our girls know there is nothing stopping them pursuing successful careers if they set their sights high.”

The bottom 10 places in Scotland to be a girl according to the report

1 Falkirk

2 Inverclyde

3 North Lanarkshire

4 North Ayrshire

5 East Ayrshire

6 Fife

7 West Dunbartonshire

8 Clackmannanshire

9 Glasgow City

10 Dundee City.