Today is World Mental Health Day and young women are in crisis. Half of young women tell us they are worried about their mental health – with the main reasons including work, money pressures and sexism.
That’s why, alongside government investment in mental health services tailored to young women, employers need to pay young women equally, treat them fairly and acknowledge the huge contribution they make to businesses – and to society through unpaid work such as childcare.
As our new research shows, we are facing an epidemic in young women’s mental ill health – which is why our work focusing on building skills and strong mental health is needed more than ever.
We shared our findings with young women and asked for their reactions.
It’s very sad to read the reality of mental health in young women. Being a young woman with mental health challenges, I know how real and prominent mental health is for myself and my peers. But seeing the research break down such a complex issue into simple yet stark statistics does make me sad. Hopefully it will bring to light the importance of the issue and kick start the efforts needed to improve the situation for so many.
Tia*
It’s heartbreaking to see so many young women struggling, and clear that the system is totally failing to address the mental health epidemic facing this country. Employers, schools and the Government say ‘we are working to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health’ but the truth is the support just isn’t there, so all these extra young people who are seeking the help they need are being ignored, turned away, or made to wait months or years for an often inadequate level of support when they eventually get some.
Jenny
Suicide rates among women are dramatically increasing. Where beforehand male suicide was considerably higher, the gap is starting to narrow and sadly suicide rates in general are increasing regardless of gender. There also seems to be a mental health epidemic amongst students with more and more students seeking psychological therapies and taking anti-depressants which is really worrying. Even if the support is there, it seems to be the case that there’s not enough of it for the amount of people who need help, so people end up waiting months, sometimes years, for help.
Chloe
At Young Women’s Trust we are committed to changing this situation for young women. Our Work It Out service builds skills and strong mental health through one to one coaching and CV and job application feedback from HR professionals.
