Background

The Young Women’s Movement is Scotland’s national organisation for young women’s feminist leadership and collective action against gender inequality. Our vision is a fairer Scotland where young women and girls are meaningfully heard, valued and supported to lead collective action and enact transformational change throughout society, systems and structures.

Introduction

This briefing highlights the key findings from this year’s Young Women Lead programme. The below analysis is taken from our research report entitled ‘Young Women Lead 2024: Young Women’s Democratic Wellbeing in Scotland’.

Young Women Lead (YWL) began in 2017 as a leadership programme for women and non-binary people aged 16-30 years old. It was established to provide participants with a unique and exciting safe space to share their experiences and work together to create real, tangible change.

This year, we decided to focus on the theme of ‘democratic wellbeing’, working with 17 young women and young people of marginalised genders from across Scotland – collectively known as our ‘Young Women Leaders’. Democratic wellbeing encompasses the ‘voice’ we have in public life and decisions that affect us. It is made up of the ways we are able to have this voice and how our voice is meaningfully heard and used by people in power. According to Carnegie UK’s research, it is an essential component part of our ‘collective wellbeing’.

Young women want to see their democratic wellbeing addressed and improved in Scotland. Young Women Leaders told us that they want politicians and decision-makers to:

• Meaningfully consult with young women about their wants and needs before making decisions for and about them, including providing incentivised participation mechanisms for those who would not ordinarily engage in politics;
• Meet young women where they are at in their communities, engaging with them in an accessible way that meets their needs;
• Prioritise a culture that centres digital wellbeing, ensuring that young women feel safe online and able to access and benefit from engaging in digital spaces.

Trust in society

Young Women Leaders recognised that there are structural barriers working against young women’s inclusion, particularly in spaces where decisions are made that directly affect them, such as local and/or civic government. These barriers create a loss of trust in society. Participants talked about having higher levels of trust in other women and in community groups that they belong to, more so than in wider societal structures. Young women remarked that they found it difficult to feel safe in society, regardless of their backgrounds. Participants discussed a lack of trust in men, men-led spaces, and the wider system where gendered dynamics are upheld, as obstacles to their trust in society.

“When we create a space for young women from all backgrounds to share, we gain deeper insights into solutions that benefit a wider community. As women, we care for our communities, not just ourselves.” [Natalia, Young Women Leader]

Recommendations

1. Meaningfully consult with young women about their wants and needs before making decisions for and about them;
2. Develop more accessible mechanisms for young women to engage with elected representatives who should make a concerted effort to engage young women and learn about the actual issues that affect them;
3. Consider different accessibility needs and take appropriate actions to mitigate the differences between rural and urban communities. Young women’s ability to participate in spaces where change is made should not depend on where they live.

Participation in democracy

Young women feel that their access to participating in democratic spaces in Scotland is limited. Many of the Young Women Leaders felt that politicians do not communicate with young women about the issues that matter to and impact them, in accessible or engaging ways. They discussed fear and intimidation of women in political spaces preventing young people from getting involved in politics. A lack of trust in political systems and fear of being in the public eye due to intense public and media scrutiny, particularly for female politicians, are also significant barriers.

Young women need continuous and sustainable engagement from elected representatives, especially those who aren’t already engaged in political systems. Elected representatives should then clearly demonstrate the results of their engagement. Young women value community outreach and engagement, with politicians meaningfully listening to their experiences and concerns.

“As a result of Young Women Lead, I feel inspired to get more involved in politics. Through participatory democracy, I can contribute to my community in significant ways beyond just voting in an election every few years. Even my view of voting has changed—as I now see it as less of a routine task but a powerful way to affect change.”  [Muminah, Young Women Leader]

Recommendations

• Provide more primary and secondary education on what democracy is and how to practically participate in democratic processes;
• Enhance methods of engagement: organisations, decision-makers, and elected representatives need to meet young women where they are at, in communities, engaging with them in accessible ways that work for them, providing incentives for engagement;
• Embed meaningful, inclusive participation methods that lead to clear actions with accountability mechanisms to ensure transparent follow-through.

Online behaviours

Young women want to feel safe online. Young women leaders emphasised concerns surrounding the negative impacts on mental health when engaging in online spaces, exposure to harassment, particularly for those involved in online activism. They also explored the difficulty of differentiating fake news from real news, and the dangers posed to young women by algorithms delivering more misogynistic content to young men online. This content not only upholds and perpetuates patriarchal expectations and standards, but in its worst form can lead to violence against women and girls online and in reality. Young Women Leaders want laws to be updated, made clearer, and enforced to prevent misinformation and disinformation, and misogynistic hate speech, quickly spreading online.

Young women often use the internet to access information that is either missed or overlooked at school or is not catered towards young women’s educational needs, such as sex education. However, participants noted that information from online sources (particularly advice around healthcare) is often inaccurate or untrue, which poses substantial dangers to young women.

Young Women Leaders were concerned about the impacts of social media addiction as well as issues that specifically impact young women’s digital wellbeing, such as exposure to diet fads, body image expectations, and bullying. This can contribute to negative expectations on how young women ‘should’ look, think and feel, therefore impacting how they position themselves within society, who they trust and who they look to as role models.

We know that women are underrepresented in the digital technology sector in Scotland, representing only 23.5% of the workforce. Participants noted that if more diverse people worked in digital technologies, there would likely be less bias in tools like Artificial Intelligence (AI). The Young Women Leaders were very concerned about whether or not AI could ever be without bias and how this bias disproportionately impacts young women.

“My involvement in the project made me realise the crucial role democratic wellbeing plays in ensuring that young women’s voices are included in decision-making processes. Without women at the table, there is a risk of being overlooked or ignored.” [Rosie, Young Women Leader]

Recommendations

• Work to provide affordable, high-speed internet access across Scotland, especially in rural and under-served areas;
• Equip young women with the skills and knowledge to develop a critical understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI), in order to help shape it;
• Streamline education surrounding critical thinking and how to be aware of misinformation online, for people of all ages. Prioritise inclusivity through universal digital access and digital skills education for all;
• Enable young women to use digital spaces in ways that actively support their wellbeing. A culture of care must be extended to online spaces;
• Improve safeguarding mechanisms for young women on public platforms from hate speech, misogynistic harassment, grooming, etc. and improve accountability mechanisms and procedures to report a complaint or cybercrime.

Conclusion

Young women in Scotland face substantial obstacles to having their democratic wellbeing fulfilled. They feel as if they are not often consulted on their wants and needs before decisions are made for and about them, especially by those in positions of power. The Young Women’s Movement believe we must strive as a collective to create an inclusive, compassionate, and responsive society for young women and girls to thrive and prosper in Scotland.

To work towards ensuring a more equal society for people of all genders, the Scottish Government should ensure that they centre the voices of young women and girls, especially around issues that disproportionately impact them, and ensure transparent accountability mechanisms to ensure their participation is meaningful. The Scottish Government should ensure digital policies prioritise a culture that centres digital wellbeing, to ensure young women are able to feel safe online and are able to access and benefit from engaging in digital spaces.

Young Women Lead 2024 has been incredibly valuable for building the confidence and skills of our Young Women Leaders. This programme demonstrates the importance of ensuring young women’s voices are meaningfully heard and listened to in decision-making spaces. The Scottish Government should continue to provide funding for programmes like Young Women Lead, which enable young women to develop leadership skills and have their voices heard and valued by people in positions of power.

For further information

Contact Saffron Roberts, Research and Policy Coordinator at The Young Women’s Movement: saffron@youngwomenscot.org