Unlocking young women’s potential

We know that the pandemic has affected young women economically. However, even before the pandemic young women faced specific barriers to employment.

In our report One Size Fits No One we found that

  • A lack of flexible and accessible job opportunities is preventing young women from entering the workforce.
  • Young women from minoritised communities face additional challenges and barriers when looking for work or claiming benefits.
  • Young women’s mental and financial wellbeing is suffering as a result of unemployment, inadequate opportunities and living on benefits.
  • The benefits system is difficult to navigate, and many young women are struggling to live comfortably on the benefits they receive.

Read One Size Fits No One report

We want to unlock young women’s potential and give them a chance to contribute. We want to ensure they have the skills and support to succeed and raise their voices.

Mental health and sexism report

Our research shows a clear link between sexism and young women’s mental ill health including long-term impact. It shows the urgent need to tackle sexism in all its forms and locations from the earliest point possible.

Read the report

Effective employment support for young women

Young women are more likely to do well at school and they are more likely to go on to university than young men. Despite this, they still remain shut out of many opportunities and they find it hard to access the employment support they need.

Our Work It Out service offers free CV and job application feedback to young women aged 18 to 30 in England and Wales. The service also offers free coaching sessions.

It was a lifechanging experience. I’m now in a job I love with incredible people supporting me. The best version of me has turned up to stay.

Young woman who used our Work It Out service

Read more about unlocking potential with Work It Out, our free coaching and CV feedback service for young women.

Read about Work It Out

Coaching helped me find my confidence

The support I received through Work It Out has made a massive difference. I learned how to talk and tell a story which gave me unbelievable strength in interviews.

Being able to see myself as a person and not as a disabled employee has been really empowering. My coach never once made it an issue and focused on what they can offer me, which stopped me from panicking about what I could offer them.

Read Danielle's story

Explore the issues

Woman at a microphone

Smashing career stereotypes

We want to break down barriers to opportunities for young women, so they can smash career stereotypes and be anything they want to be.

Young women working together at a table

Building equal workplaces

Young women face discrimination at work every day. A third of young women have faced discrimination when looking for work or while working.

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