Over the last ten years of the Labour Government, nearly everyone has seen an improvement in their standard of living, but not all at the same rate. I took part in a seminar last week at Westminster organised by the YWCA, which drew attention to the thousands of disadvantaged young women who face a lifetime of poorly paid, low skilled jobs.  For these women there is only one rung on the career ladder and that is the bottom one.

Our economy is growing steadily, but if we are all going to benefit from this we have to make sure our young people have the skills and training they need to get good quality jobs, and this is particularly important for young women.  Research shows that twice as many young women as young men who were poor in childhood are still poor at the age of 30. 75% of working women are still found in just five types of occupational groups – caterer, carer, cleaner, cashier or clerical assistant – and these are the lowest paid.

Young women who grow up in poverty and without a supportive family often lack confidence and have low self-esteem. They are not without dreams and aspirations but practical difficulties, such as caring responsibilities often hold them back. Pressure from friends and stereotypes reinforced by newspapers and television often steers them towards low paid, low skilled jobs rather than aiming higher.

Gordon Brown has stated his commitment to improving skills and creating more apprenticeships for young people. I want to make sure that young women get their fair share of these opportunities and are treated equally. We need to find new ways to help disadvantaged young women develop knowledge, confidence and skills to help them get decent, well paid jobs.

Women who have rewarding, well paid careers will be the best role models for their daughters so that the next generation can grow up not in poverty but able to take advantage of the benefits of economic growth and not get left behind. I will be asking Gordon Brown to make narrowing the equality gap one of his main priorities.