The Inspiring Futures for Young Women campaign

Why is it needed?

It is clear that for girls and young women, it’s ‘who you know’ that influences career

aspirations and choice. They rely on female role models from a range of sectors,

positions of responsibility and stages of their life to broaden their horizons and help

to combat stereotypes about occupations. This is what Inspiring Futures for Young Women aims to do.

 

Key findings from a variety of research in the UK reports are listed.

Children’s Perceptions of Gender and Careers

• By the age of 6, children classify jobs as male and female – by the age of 8, they

are limiting aspirations and then by 13 many of them have already ruled out career

options that don’t fit with gender stereotypes.

• Knowing adults in certain professions significantly influences desires to work in

those areas; 68% of pupils knew someone who did either their first and/or second

choice of jobs.

• Young girls aged 7-11 say their influences are mainly female family members, but

they also feel inspired by celebrities; their aspirations reflect this – they want to be

mums, teachers, nurses and hairdressers, and a disproportionate number of girls

this age also want to be actors, singers, writers or dancers.

 

in 2016, Education Employers Charity in the UK released a short film exploring this. In only three months, Redraw the Balance achieved 25 million views.