Young Women Demand
Young Women Demand
Young Women Demand is a programme to encourage young women’s democratic engagement, based on the findings of our Status of Young Women in Scotland 2024/25 and Young Women Lead 2024 research.
It is being led by a co-design group of young women and girls who will be campaigning for young women to exercise their voting rights in the 2026 Scottish election, as well as scrutinising party manifestos and explaining the electoral system in simple terms. Following the election, the group will scrutinise Government and opposition policies against their electoral promises.
Young Women Demand is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust.
Our manifesto
Our Young Women Demand manifesto looks towards a Scotland where young women and girls can feel safe and thrive.
The 2026 Scottish Parliament election is a vital moment to hold political parties accountable to their duty to advance young women’s rights and gender inequality.
Below we set out our six policy priorities to ensure that the voices and experiences of young women and girls are at the heart of party manifestos, with a view to informing future policy making in Scotland.
Our Manifesto has been co-designed with young women and girls across Scotland using an intersectional feminist approach and these six demands are drawn directly from their diverse perspectives, experiences and insights gathered through our research.
We are calling on all Scottish political parties to implement our demands to improve the lives and futures of young women and girls across Scotland, no matter their background or circumstances.
Young Women Demand:
- Protect and promote young women’s human rights through the introduction of a Human Rights Bill for Scotland
- Prevent and eliminate violence against young women and girls by providing sustained funding for women’s and youth organisations
- Address online violence against young women and girls through the robust regulation of digital technologies
- Tackle misogynistic and sexist views, attitudes and behaviours amongst young men and boys through increased educational interventions
- Equitable healthcare access and outcomes for young women and girls, particularly in mental health and sexual and reproductive healthcare, by prioritising women’s health as a key policy area
- Equal opportunities for young women and girls to get involved in politics, democracy and decision-making processes
So, what now?
Read the research behind Young Women Demand
Thank you to the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust for funding the Young Women Demand programme