Hundreds of thousands of young women are not earning or learning, but they want to be and they could be. This 2015 report looks at young women’s worklessness and makes the case for urgent action.
No government will significantly reduce the number of young people who are NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training) if it does not pay close attention to the distinct issues that young women face.
The weight of the evidence summarised in this report – personal testimonies, polling and interviews with those working with young people who are NEET, together with previously published literature – demonstrates that young women have insurmountable challenges which prevent them from moving into employment. And it reveals another stark reality: being NEET damages young women’s lives for longer and more profoundly than it does young men’s.
This is a long-standing and complex problem. It will not be solved overnight but there are steps that can be taken now which would begin to improve the situation. This report provides recommendations for ways in which to improve the situation for this and future generations of young women.
