Young women experience discrimination at work

The Young Women’s Trust charity reports that half of all the 4,061 young women aged 18-30 surveyed by them had experienced discrimination in the workplace. Its annual 2023 survey reveals that sexist behaviour in the workplace is common.

And while most young women recognise discrimination, many are not confident about their rights and feel uncomfortable challenging discriminatory conduct.

Don’t keep us down — young women’s experiences of discrimination in the workplace records the experiences of 25 of those women and the views of 70 employers about how they are tackling discrimination in the workplace.

The study reveals that multiple aspects of identities are affected, including gender, race, age, disability and caring responsibilities. But being young and female puts them in a particularly powerless position, making this harder to challenge.

It also points out that discrimination affects the long-term career prospects of young women who lose their self-belief, leave jobs and change careers.

Much of this discrimination goes unchallenged, with young women feeling nothing will be done or that reporting it will make their lives more difficult.

The trust is encouraging employers to do more, emphasising that policies alone are not enough.

And it argues that employers should take a zero tolerance approach, with tangible consequences for those who discriminate.