More than 50 per cent of young women in the UK have experienced some form of discrimination at work, with these instances of discrimination reaching a three-year high.
A study of almost 4,000 women aged between 18-30 in England and Wales was conducted by the Young Women’s Trust, a London-based feminist organisation aimed to tackling the gender pay gap for young women.
Between 2022-2023, the percentage of young women who reported experiencing discrimination rose from 42 per cent to 50 per cent, climbing to 53 per cent in 2024.
For young women from ethnic minority groups, the percentage was higher — increasing from 44 per cent in 2022 to 61 per cent this year.
Christal Kihm, a peer researcher on the study, said that the report shows that discrimination, particularly the combination of racism and sexism, is on the rise.
“Work is rarely siloed from the discrimination of young women and non binary people face daily,” she said.
“Racially minoritized young women are much more likely to be affected by insecure work, discrimination and lack of progression opportunities. They are more than twice as likely as young white women to be worried about discrimination at work.”
Researchers also conducted a survey of almost 1,000 individuals working in human resources (HR), revealing that a third admitted to harbouring knowledge of discrimination against young women in the past year.
Thirty-three percent of HR employees in decision-making roles said that sexist behaviour existed in the workplace, while over a quarter of women aged between 18-30 reported experiencing sexual harassment. The same proportion reported being paid less than their male counterparts, while 22 per cent said they were paid below minimum wage.
One in 10 HR workers said they were aware of a gender pay gap in their organisation, while one in five claimed their organisation did not diligently track the gap.
Christal Kihm encouraged young women to participate in the Young Women’s Trust, saying, “When young women and non-binary people are involved with Young Women’s Trust or have accessed our information about rights at work, they are more likely to feel confident to challenge discrimination and inequality.”
“We must simultaneously address structural barriers and inequalities that keep us from progressing, thriving and achieving true economic justice and equity in the workplace.”