Being young is a superpower, YWCA Auckland chief executive Dellwyn Stuart says. Photo / Dean Purcell
Being young is a superpower, YWCA Auckland chief executive Dellwyn Stuart says. Photo / Dean Purcell
Just one in four young Kiwi women feel society values their opinions, according to a new survey.
And only one in three women surveyed felt they got the same opportunities as their male peers.
The YWCA surveyed women aged 18-25 online, asking questions about opportunity, access, representation and recognition.
YWCA Auckland chief executive Dellwyn Stuart said it was "staggering" that just 26 per cent felt their perspectives and opinions were heard and valued.
"It is 2020 next year. What does that say about the world that these young people are maturing into?"
One young woman had told Stuart she and her peers were "mischaracterised" in the media.
"I get really bored having to explain why a lot of things that people assume about young women - that we have no ambition, that we are supersensitive, that we just flake on everything - that these ideas and assumptions are so divorced from our reality", she said.
Another said it was important their voices were heard because "we are going to be half of the future".
The backlash to climate activist Greta Thunberg's speech at the UN Climate Change Summit were a great example of the "youth dissing" that goes on, Stuart said.
"We need to turn that on its head. Being a young person in this age bracket is actually a superpower. You are incredibly creative, you're in touch with your emotional side, you're seeing the world afresh...most youth I know in this space are really well informed, they're interested and they want to participate."
Of those women surveyed, just 32 per cent felt they got the same opportunities as their male counterparts. Stuart suspected this was often related to leadership.
Young women were under pressure to be excellent students while working part-time contributing to the household finances, and doing unpaid labour like housework and babysitting.
"They haven't got time to step up and take advantage of opportunities."
There's lots more work to do before young women experience true equality, according to YWCA Auckland chief executive Dellwyn Stuart. Photo / Michael Bradley
This was often true in lower-decile schools the YWCA worked with, as well as among Maori, Pacific Island and migrant young women - but it was an issue across the board.
Women 18-25 were the most anxious in New Zealand, just when the world should be their oyster, she said.
"You should have all this potential and possibility but these young women are carrying a lot of stress and anxiety."
An imploding planet, omnipresent social media and the fear of AI taking their jobs were all factors.
The survey of 210 women was self-selecting and not meant to be scientific. It was commissioned for the YMCA to better understand the issues women face so it knew where to focus.
Stuart said the findings were disappointing but the YWCA was determined to help improve things. It's doing more research into young women and wants to provide better role models for girls.
Today- the UN's International Day of the Girl - the YWCA is launching a list of 25 New Zealand women under 25 doing amazing things.
The media and society could also do their part, Stuart said.
"I would encourage everybody to call out everyday sexism. Listen to the young women in their lives and understand their perspectives."
