A brand new study reveals worrying stats
A staggering 65% of young women have a mental health condition before they start university, yet only 10% of them disclosed this to their university, a recent study has shown.
The survey, conducted by Scottish organisation Fearless Femme, revealed that these issues are only exacerbated by the stress-culture surrounding exams and the future young women and non-binary people encounter once they go off to university.
Uni should be a fun time, and it is — sometimes. But as someone who was just in that position of “oh, shit, what do I do next?”, who went into university depressed and anxious and came out of university even more depressed and anxious, I find these findings totally representative.
The study, which polled nearly 1,000 young women and non-binary people, found that students have become fearful of the future because they’re afraid of what comes with it, exams and deadlines. Support for students with mental health issues is scarce, slow, and often useless (I can attest to that, too).
A more honest and accepting conversation surrounding failure would make for an easier transition from higher education to employment, 89% of responders said.
Dr. Eve Hepburn, founder and CEO of, said: “We work with universities to find a way to change the narrative on failure and alleviate pressures that young people face, in order to tackle the mental health crisis amongst this generation.”
Something responders seemed to agree on was that there needs to be a more honest conversation about where you’re meant to “be” x-amount of years after graduation. Even if we do get to where we want to be, imposter syndrome permeates our sub-conscious and we never really feel accomplished.
Basically: we need to have honest conversations with the students in our lives. The women behind Fearless Femme are mental health campaigners, researchers, members of a creative community and have their own magazine, but we can all do our bit.
You can read the full report here: fearlessfemme.co.uk
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