Their firsthand experiences have been backed up by feedback from HR decision-makers across the country, with more than a third admitting that they’ve seen instances of young women being discriminated against in the past year, and confirming that sexist behaviour still exists within their organisations.

In the face of these frustrating truths, it’s little wonder there’s been a rise in women re-evaluating their relationship with the traditional workplace – from ‘quiet quitting’ to an uptick in entrepreneurship – but turning our backs on a broken system shouldn’t be the only answer. It’s why the Young Women’s Trust is focusing on empowerment through education: encouraging us to know our rights at work and feel able to recognise when we’re coming up against a sexist barrier and call it out.

“We know it’s hard for young women to get the jobs that they want because of barriers such as a lack of flexible working and affordable childcare, but then when they do enter the workplace, discrimination and a lack of support to progress create this broken rung on the career ladder,” says Claire Reindorp, chief executive of Young Women’s Trust. “It’s a travesty that in 2023, young women still aren’t being given the same chances in life as young men.”

The charity is calling on the government and employers to commit to ending discrimination for good, creating better job security for young women and ensuring fair and equal pay once and for all – and we are right behind them. Here’s to a better working future for us all in 2024.

*name has been changed

Images: Getty

You’re not imagining it: the workplace is becoming more hostile for women