Before you look at how you get a girlfriend, a good thing is to work out why you would like a girlfriend. Is there someone you have romantic feelings for? Is it because some of your friends have girlfriends?
If there is someone you are interested in, there are many ways you could go about asking them out. You could start off building a friendship, seeing if you have common interests, morals and values that are similar. If this goes well and you feel like you and this person would work well in a romantic relationship, then you could ask the person out on a date.
You can do this in a few ways, if you feel too nervous to do it face to face, you could send them a message asking them if they would like to go out with you. If you would prefer to do it in person, its important to choose your time well. Maybe somewhere away from your peers, where you can both talk respectfully and honestly about it.
Something to consider before this is that you may not always get the answer you are hoping for. Be prepared for this and remember how important it is to be respectful no matter what. If the person you like tells you they would not like to date you, respectfully accept their answer and remember, you deserve to date someone who feels as excited about the relationship as you, so their honesty is a good thing. Using respect and being prepared when asking someone out makes room for a healthy friendship If the feelings are not mutual. And if they are mutual, congratulations! You and your girlfriend can enter into a relationship that started with respect.
~ Christie
In NSW, the age of consent is 16. If you are 16 years old or older another person can have sex with you if you agree to it (unless they are your carer or supervisor.)
This year NSW government plans to change the consent laws to adopt an affirmative consent model. This means a person must do or say something to confirm they consent before sex occurs.
The changes will mean:
(a) a person does not consent to sexual activity unless they said or did something to communicate consent; and
(b) If a person is accused of sexual assault, they have to show that they said or did something to find out whether they had consent. They have to ask, not just assume that they have consent because the other person didn’t say no.
The new laws will also clarify a person’s right to change their mind and withdraw consent at any point; make it clear that if someone consents to one sexual act, it doesn’t mean they’ve consented to other sexual acts; and clarify that a defendant cannot rely on intoxication (drunk or on drugs) as an excuse for being mistaken about whether they have consent.
These changes are being made to help make it clear to everyone that consent must be freely given and ongoing throughout any sexual activity and that it is everyone’s responsibility to make sure they have consent.
~ Bonnie
We know that boys and girls can both do lots of the same things - boys and girls are both smart, sporty, creative, adventurous, kind etc. So we know that in reality boys are not more than girls, or better than girls. I am interpreting your question as, “even though boys and girls can do lots of the same things equally as well, why are girls thought to be less than boys?”
This is known as gender inequality, and it started many years ago when things were very different in society. To give you a very brief snapshot; historically, females were considered the nurturers, the bearers of children, and the ‘homemakers’, and men were the providers, considered the head of the family. Over time as technology and science evolved, so did society and gender roles. Along with the advancements, such as the contraception pill for women, childcare, and education, women entered the workforce and began challenging traditional gender roles which meant that men were doing things that only women used to do, and women were doing things that only men used to do.
Our society today recognises that girls and boys are both very capable and can do lots of the same things equally as well, however because our society had made decisions about how girls and boys should be, for example “boys are more sporty and never cry” and “girls should wear dresses and always present themselves nicely” sometimes boys and girls are not considered equal, even though they are. When this happens sometimes boys and girls are not given the same opportunities.
It's important that you know that as a girl, or a boy you should be given the same opportunities and that you should not be left out or discriminated against because you are a girl/boy. If you are in this situation, its important you talk to your parents or teachers about it to see if you can be included in the activity.
Hi! We are so glad that you are coming back to check for your answer. We are a small team who are often out and about at schools but we work really hard to get all answers up by each Friday. So, if you ask a question on Monday, check back on Friday afternoon and the answer should be there! 😊
- Sarah
