About

We’re here to create a more equal world of work and raise young women’s incomes. We tackle sexism and misogyny, with and for anyone who has experienced this.

We offer young women free coaching, feedback on job applications and information to help them get where they want to be.

We bring together a network of thousands of young women to support each other, build their self-belief, and have their voices heard.

We work with young women and anyone who experiences misogyny and sexism to campaign for equality in the workplace.

And our research provides insight into what young women’s lives are really like, fuelling our campaigns for change.

Young Women’s Trust stands up for equality for young women in the UK. They do this by carrying out policy research, campaigning for change and reaching out to young women across the UK, helping them get skills and opportunities to speak truth to power. They hold women at the heart of what they do and want to get women’s experiences understood by the government.
Yogi, Advisory Panel member

A group of young women pose for the camera on a sunny day

How we work with young women

Young women are at the centre of the charity’s work: leading, designing and participating.

Our Young Women’s Advisory Panel is a group of 30 young women who have experience of living on low or no pay. They guide Young Women’s Trust’s work by taking part in discussions, interviewing new staff, talking to the media and writing for our blog.

Find out more about the Advisory Panel

Support us

Just £25 could provide a young woman with detailed, supportive feedback on her CV and job application, giving her the best chance of securing a job interview.

Donate today

Our vision and purpose

Our vision is a world where young women are valued, can make choices and look forward to a fairer financial future.

Our purpose is to create an equal world of work and raise young women’s incomes.

Read about our values and principles

Our goals

Our ultimate goal is to close the income gap between young women and young men.

To lay the foundations for this, we are focusing on two key goals:

Visibility, voice and power
A more equal world of work

The first goal influences the second: we believe that giving greater visibility, voice and power to young women is an essential first step towards a more equal world of work.

Our impact

In the year 2023-24 we supported more than 4,000 young women with coaching, job application feedback, and information to help them thrive at work. This support has a real impact on young women’s earnings, as well as how they feel about work and their futures:

52% of young women who used our coaching services said their income had increased, mainly as a result of getting a new job following our support.

78% of young women said they felt more optimistic after having coaching.

Young women who’ve been involved with Young Women’s Trust are more likely than other young women to feel optimistic about their future prospects, and more confident to recognise and challenge discrimination in the workplace. According to our 2024 annual survey:

72% of young women who have had involvement with us are more likely to feel positive that they can achieve their career goals, compared to 62% of all young women.

79% of those involved with YWT feel comfortable reporting or challenging discrimination at work, compared to 66% of all young women.

We have built a community of more than 10,000 young women and people of marginalised genders across our networks who get involved in campaigning, research, media work, and helping design our services and shape the organisation.

Since our Research Centre was established in 2021, we have worked with 28 peer researchers to publish three ‘state of the nation’ surveys of more than 12,000 young women, as well as research into young women’s experiences of insecure work, discrimination and the benefits system – shining a light on young women’s experiences and using the evidence to call for change.

Find out more about our impact in our latest annual report

Equity, diversity and inclusion

Young Women’s Trust strives to be an anti-racist organisation. We acknowledge that this is a continual and ongoing process. What this means for us is:

Inside our organisation:

We will create and nurture a culture where all staff feel a sense of belonging.

We will facilitate our staff’s learning and development on anti-racism.

We will develop and monitor progress against an EDI action plan, including tangible targets as well as outlining our broader approach to building an inclusive culture.

In our external-facing work: 

We will use our voice to speak out against racism and racist misogyny.

We recognise that Black and racially minoritised young women face greater inequalities than white young women, and we will develop services and influencing strategies which address this.

We recognise that the experiences of white middle-class women are too often centred in conversations on gender equality. We will seek to change this narrative and will prioritise the experiences and voices of racially minoritised young women.

We recognise that we have a lot of work to do. But our anti-racist vision and EDI action plan are the starting point. We will continually prioritise this work, making space to discuss, learn and reflect as we make active progress towards becoming an anti-racist organisation.

Note on terminology

We use the term ‘Black and racially minoritised’. This term recognises that individuals have been minoritised through social processes of power rather than just existing in distinct statistical minorities. It also better reflects the fact that ethnic groups that are minorities in the UK are majorities in the global population. 

Gender diversity

We are here to create a world where young women are valued, have choices and can look forward to a fairer financial future. We tackle sexism and misogyny, with and for anyone who has experienced this – including trans women and non-binary people.

We include and welcome all young women, including trans women, in all aspects of our work. If you identify as non-binary and are comfortable being supported by a women’s service, or being involved in a women’s campaigning organisation, we are happy to help you and welcome you into our campaigns.

Our history

Young Women’s Trust started its journey as part of the YWCA, which was founded in 1855. It was rebranded as non-religious organisation Platform 51 before becoming Young Women’s Trust in 2013.