Actions you can take to support young women

You can support a young woman you know who is on her way to achieving great things.

Everyone can play a part. What will you do?

At home

  • Share the load. We can all cook, clean and provide care, it’s time to step up. Over 50% of young women we surveyed said unpaid work gets in the way of them being able to take on paid work.
  • Take your parental leave if you can. Sharing childcare longer-term, has a positive impact on women’s careers.

At work

  • If you’re an employer show the salary. To help close the gender pay gap, display the salary on all job ads.
  • Give young women space. If a young woman is interrupted, whether in a meeting or an informal conversation, call it out and apologise.
  • Don’t assume young women are incapable. Provide opportunities to try and offer constructive feedback to help them succeed.

In your community

  • Pass on opportunities and share your networks. Could a young woman in your life benefit from being introduced to someone else in your network? Put them in touch.
  • Call out everyday sexism and misogyny wherever you see it. Whether it’s on social media, at work, in public or at home, don’t just let it pass.

And don’t forget, anyone can…

  1. Signpost a young woman to our Work It Out coaching and CV feedback service.
  2. Donate to support our work with young women.

Download our IWD Activism Pack and find fun ways to raise money.

Follow Young Women’s Trust on InstagramTwitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and TikTok like and share our updates.

If you know a young woman and want to do more to support her, I’d say the simplest thing is to just to reach out and check in. It can make such a big difference to someone’s day. Especially if you haven’t spoken to them in a while.

Holly Jevons

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