The cost-of-living crisis continues to deepen for young women and girls across Scotland. To mark Challenge Poverty Week 2024, the Poverty Alliance’s annual event aimed at highlighting the ‘injustice of poverty in wealthy Scotland’, The Young Women’s Movement and Scottish Women’s Budget Group are delighted to co-launch our report, ‘I am just keeping my head above water’: Young women’s experiences of the cost-of-living crisis in Scotland. 

The report highlights how young women are struggling – financially, emotionally, and physically – during the cost-of-living crisis in Scotland.

Existing research shows that women, particularly those facing intersecting discrimination, pay the price in times of crisis because there is very little safety net when the deep-rooted lines of social and gender inequality are exposed.This is largely because women, particularly young women, are more likely to be in low paid, precarious or part-time employment and have lower levels of wealth compared with men. For instance, statistics show that young women on average earn £5,000 less per year in comparison with young men of their age, which makes it difficult for them to become financially resilient in times of crisis. 

The report provides a clear picture of how the recent inflationary period has impacted young women’s financial resilience in Scotland: 

• Three quarters (74.2%) of the 300 young women who took the survey are cutting back on food expenditure by limiting the types of food they buy, and nearly 1 in 4 (23.5%) have skipped meals due to the rising costs of living; 
• Over two fifths (42.5%) of the 300 young women who responded to the survey reported being in debt, with more than half (53.5%) of young women in debt due to credit cards. 
• Over two thirds (67.9%) of the 300 young women who took the survey are ‘worried’ about their future.  

The cost-of-living crisis is not affecting women equally. Disabled young women were more likely to describe how benefits, like Universal Credit or Personal Independence Payment (PIP), did not cover the cost of living, because of other costs linked to their disability. Single young women and young women living alone are struggling to afford rent and bills without the support of a partner or flat mate, and some young women in cohabiting relationships describe feeling financially reliant on their partner to pay for rent, bills and other household expenditure. Over one quarter (26.7%) of young mothers are unable to afford replacement clothes or shoes for children, which increased to two thirds (66.7%) when asked if they are unable to afford replacement clothes and shoes for themselves. Some young mothers told us they are skipping meals to ensure their children are fed.   

“I’m living off my credit card which I can’t afford to pay off each month. I keep applying for Universal Credit and Jobseeker’s [Allowance] but hit a wall with the bureaucracy. My health is suffering because of the stress which further affects my ability to work. Going to the supermarket gets me upset because of the prices. I can’t afford my energy bills at all.” 

While the cost-of-living crisis is affecting different groups across Scotland in particular ways, the gendered aspects of this crisis are readily apparent. Young women point to the cost of childcare as a barrier to their ability to increase paid work. Childcare is incredibly expensive, even with an increase in government funded hours. This is making it difficult for young women to take on paid work or increase their income, especially when they need more flexible hours or specific caring needs. The economic impacts of having children were also highlighted by most young women who expressed a wish to start a family at some point in the future.

Young women are also having to make choices that could potentially compromise their safety. Many described feeling unsafe while walking home at night because they could not afford the cost of transport, particularly in rural areas where streetlights are old and outdated and in need of replacement. Some young women described situations where they were stuck in a living situation with a partner or ex-partner who was toxic or abusive because they could not afford to move out and live independently. Others described being in toxic or unsafe workplaces and not feeling able to change jobs. These circumstances had a detrimental impact on respondents, who said their mental health was significantly suffering as a result. While these reasons might also apply to young men, particularly those from marginalised backgrounds, young women’s likelihood to work part time and/or to work in low-paid jobs means that many simply feel ‘stuck’, which increases the risk of further exacerbating gender inequalities in Scotland. 

The cost-of-living far outweighs what young women are earning, and this is no longer sustainable. Many young women felt that income levels, including from wage earnings and welfare, should enable all young people to cover their housing and essential costs, to save, and to allow for disposable income. Around 1 in 5 participants across each age group would prioritise an increase in wages to help them right now, with 26-30-year-olds being the age group most likely to call for this (30.1%). They called on decision-makers to uplift the living wage, increase benefits, and challenge employers to increase salaries all in line with inflation, with some advocating for universal basic income and better wage protections for young people.    

The economy currently does not support young people, and women particularly. We need to see more progress towards a caring economy which supports and values women’s lives and contributions. Young women called for effective policy solutions to combat the cost-of-living crisis. Many young women emphasised the need for affordable childcare, and increased access and resources within employability services, especially for women experiencing challenges related to disability, neurodiversity, mental health and maternity. Young women want to know how to navigate the challenges of budgeting, saving and borrowing responsibly. They deserve to know what support they are financially entitled to and how the government is helping them navigate their financial situation during the cost-of-living crisis. 

The Young Women’s Movement and Scottish Women’s Budget Group aim to use the findings of this research to advocate for young women’s needs during the cost-of-living crisis and beyond in Scotland and make recommendations to decision-makers to ensure young women’s voices and experiences are recognised and amplified to challenge systemic inequality in Scotland.