| Summary: | The aim of this research was to investigate the relationships between a young person's gender and their access to the Ten Entitlements set out under Extending Entitlement. The Ten Entitlements were operationalised in this research to measure how able young people felt in accessing their rights in Wales. The research examined the influence of gender, as well as age and other aspects in a young person life, on how able young people felt in accessing their Entitlements. The research utilised a mixed methods approach using quantitative and qualitative data collection tools. An online computer based questionnaire collected representative quantitative data and focus groups collected qualitative data. This research found there were more Entitlements where young people perceived that boys had higher access to their Entitlements than girls. These findings support the intersectional feminist theory of a 'double whammy' of discrimination (Taefi, 2009). This research suggests that there are different areas where girls and boys perceived themselves least able to access their Entitlements. The age where perceived access to the Entitlements was lowest was aged 12 to 14, particularly for females, this was explained by difficulties with puberty and extra pressures of life. Key themes that have emerged to explain gender differences are girls being more enthusiastic yet more self-conscious, and the importance of stereotypes in young people's views. The research suggests that other aspects, as well as gender, were crucial in explaining perceived access to the Entitlements. Young people had higher perceived access to the Entitlements when positive experiences of family, friends and school were present and there were less negative experiences of antisocial behaviour, poverty and poor neighbourhood. The research has discovered that complex gender inequalities exist in young people's experiences of accessing their Entitlements and uncovered underpinning mechanisms related to young people's perceived access to their rights in Wales.
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