Inflexibility keeping young women out of work

Young women are facing barriers to employment caused by inflexible and inaccessible work and recruitment practices, according to research from the Young Women’s Trust.

Based on interviews with more than 1,000 young women in England and Wales, plus an online focus group, One Size Fits No One found that more than a quarter of young women faced difficulties applying for jobs due to costs, rising to 38% for those with caring responsibilities, while 65% of young women with disabilities or long-term health conditions reported discrimination, citing inflexible and inaccessible employment as a key factor preventing them finding or staying in work.

“For many young women, flexibility is not a preference, it is the difference between being able or unable to enter and remain in the workforce,” said interim chief executive, Abi Shapiro.

https://www.youngwomenstrust.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/One-size-fits-no-one-Young-Womens-Trust-report.pdf