New research from Young Women’s Trust reveals a staggering 9 in 10 UK young women aged between 18 and 30, have been subjected to sexism in the past year – with one in three (31%) saying this has harmed their mental health.
Three quarters (75%) of young women say their lives have been negatively affected by sexism and misogyny. With almost half (43%) saying it has impacted how safe they feel in public and 41% saying it has knocked their confidence.
More than three quarters (77%) of young women say that sexist views are becoming more common in society, and 74% agree that sexist comments are becoming more acceptable amongst young men. At the same time, 36% of young men thought that society would be ‘better off if men and women returned to ‘more traditional roles’, compared to less than a fifth (19%) of young women.
The impact leaves young women editing how they show up in the world with over a third (34%) feeling forced to change the way they dress or behave, while 21% avoid sharing their opinions at work.
The research also found that just 1 in 5 (21%) young women expressed confidence that politicians are taking misogyny seriously. This insight comes as ministers have launched a National Taskforce for Tackling Misogyny to prevent misogyny and better protect women and girls from harmful and dangerous attitudes.
The taskforce comes at a critical time, with Young Women’s Trust’s research showing that 70% of young women are worried that women’s rights are going backwards, compared with 43% of young men who share the same concern.
The report also highlights a strong desire among young people to move beyond political polarisation and ‘culture wars’, with more than 80% of young people (82% of young women and 81% of young men) saying more needs to be done to unify young women and men.
Katharine Sacks-Jones, Chief Executive at Young Women’s Trust, said:
“The findings are clear: widespread sexism and misogyny are damaging young women’s mental health and confidence. This goes far beyond harmful online content – sexism is not something they can log off from. It’s having a profound impact on the way young women view themselves and their place in the world and the way they participate in society. With growing threats to the rights and protections that women have fought hard to secure, young women now feel their rights are up for grabs. Now is the time to challenge harmful attitudes, stand up for young women’s rights and ensure every young woman has the power and opportunity to fulfil her potential.”
The research shows that there is little escape from the harms of misogyny and sexism. Among young women who experienced threats or abusive behaviour because of their gender, the most common sources were:
- 27% social media/online
- 25% strangers on the street
- 18% strangers on public transport
- 14% customers, clients, service users or patients
- 11% family
Despite a focus on workplace harassment in recent years, the research shows that sexism and discrimination are alive and kicking in many workplaces across the UK. Today’s research shows that HR managers are aware of toxic cultures and often witness sexist behaviour in their places of work.
- More than half (52%) of HR managers are aware of young women in their organisations who have experienced sexist or discriminatory behaviour in the last 12 months
- Of those who were aware of young women being sexually harassed at work, around two thirds (66%) said that managers were responsible
- More than a third (38%) agree that sexist behaviour still exists in their organisation, this rises to 60% among 18-30 year old HR managers.
Catherine, 27, works in finance and reflects on how misogynistic ‘banter’ has impacted her career. She said:
“I work in finance, which is obviously very male dominated, and every now and again a joke will be made – which they see as treating me like one of the boys and involving me – but it makes me feel isolated and uncomfortable. In the past I’ve had jokes about me, which were personal and hurtful, but I don’t think they ever stop to think how upsetting it can be to have to deal with on a daily basis. When I was younger I would often get comments that I don’t take criticism well and I was too emotional. It got to a point where I was spending far too much time and energy trying to control how I’m perceived by male colleagues when I could have been improving myself or doing better at the actual day job. There have been times when I’ve taken on projects not because they interested me or were best for my career, but because I felt I could work with the particular manager. I’m nervous for the future. I find it hard to validate my own feelings often telling myself that another woman wouldn’t mind, or that she would find it funny. The internalised misogyny is also exhausting.”
Recommendations
Young Women’s Trust is calling on government to:
- Establish a national framework for preventing and tackling misogyny ensuring coordinated action across education, workplaces, online spaces and public life to recognise the deep rooted impacted that misogyny has in every aspect of a young woman’s life.
- Establish clear national principles for tackling everyday sexism at work. These principles should be included alongside the existing guidance for employers on closing gender pay gaps and supporting employees experiencing menopause.
- Create more opportunities for young women and men to challenge harmful gender norms together. Our research found that both young women and young men want more opportunities to talk openly and constructively together about issues, including gender, on which they are becoming increasingly polarised.