“We see it as a responsibility of all employees to be an ally to young women”
- Lydia Morgan
In this International Women’s Day series episode, we discuss the struggles young women face in the workplace and looking for employment. We’re joined by Lydia Morgan, Head of Participation at the Young Women’s Trust, and Mattea, who has used their services.
Lydia has been Head of Participation at Young Women’s Trust since 2014, adding to the wealth of experience she has accumulated in the voluntary sector over the past 15 years. Lydia’s greatest passion is to encourage young women to have a say in the decisions that affect their lives and at Young Women’s Trust she’s able to live this passion daily in a job she loves. In her current role, she ensures that young women’s views and experiences directly inform the charity’s work and she supports them to advocate for change.
Young Women’s Trust offers support to young women aged 18 to 30, who are living on low or no pay and want to build a better future.
1. The effects of unpaid work
Unpaid work consists of jobs such as cleaning, cooking, and looking after children. Analysing data from ONS, the Young Women’s Trust found that the unpaid work of young women aged 18 to 30 contributes to at least £140 billion to the UK economy.
Lydia and Mattea share the impact that unpaid work has on the young women who carry it out. How they are often expected to give up their careers and chances of employment. However, the same is not expected of their male counterparts.
2. Young women in the workplace
In this episode, we learn how employers can make adjustments to ensure they have a more inclusive workplace. Introducing a flexible working environment can help many young women with children or those with disabilities. offering better paternity leave so that the caregiving responsibilities don’t fall automatically to women.
This episode of Charity Chat has been brought to you by our platinum sponsor Work for Good. Work for Good believes everyone should be able to turn the work they do into good. Through their fundraising platform, they offer charities a way to engage and work with small businesses, including founders, owners and sole traders who want to make an impact for charities through their sales. To find out more, please visit workforgood.co.uk
We hope you enjoy this week’s episode.
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E121 - Non - Hierarchical Leadership With Helen Moulinos
E145 - Small Charity Leadership with Macarena Martinez
E165 - Why Young Trustees? With Amelia Ireland And Kate Roberts