Rural women need specific policies

Young women living in the countryside are among the most deprived
and excluded people in England and Wales, according to new
research.

Lack of affordable child care and social activities along with poor
public transport were highlighted as the major problems by young
women’s charity YWCA.

The charity’s recommendations include the greater use of outreach
facilities and telephone helplines, more holistic services for
young mothers and for young women to be more effectively included
in rural regeneration initiatives.

Mandana Hendessi, the YWCA’s director of policy and campaigns,
said: “Current policies to tackle rural exclusion fail young women
because they do not specifically address their needs, often
considering them alongside young men.”

– Beyond the Bus Shelter – Young Women’s Choices and Challenges
in Rural Areas from 01865 304 215 or www.ywca-gb.org.uk/pcpublications.asp