Improving Women's Health and Well Being

Issues such as poor body image, low self-esteem, eating disorders, and increased alcohol consumption among young women.

Or the fact that some women are especially susceptible to ill health and poor support services/access to treatment – purely because they come from disadvantaged black and ethnic minorities.

With your support, Rosa will invest in initiatives that seek to meet women and girls’ specific needs around health and wellbeing.

Improving Women's Safety

Rosa wants every woman and girl to live free from violence or the threat of violence.

Providing a ‘women-only’ service goes against the current funding trend for prioritising ‘integrated’ services, while the need for these charities to keep a low profile in the community (to keep their service users safe) can mean that individuals who might otherwise donate don’t know they exist.

With your support, Rosa aims to help secure money for existing women-only services (Rape Crisis case study), by raising awareness of the issues and making the case to other funders.

Rosa will also directly fund new initiatives to improve safety for women in the UK.

Improving the Financial Situation for Women

Rosa wants more women to enjoy economic stability and success in their lives.

More women than ever before in the UK are earning – but are still earning less than men (even if they’re doing the same job). They also lose out when it comes to moving up the career ladder, or flexible working options.

Girls from poor backgrounds find it hardest of all to get ahead. And lack of affordable childcare keeps hundreds of thousands of talented women out of the job market altogether.

Initiatives like Women Like Us show that – with the right financial backing at the right time – an inspired idea can become a great project that benefits everyone – women, families and employers alike.

Rosa will invest in initiatives like this that help create a more even playing field of opportunity for women.

Improving Women's Representation

Rosa wants to see far more women in positions of leadership and decision-making in the UK.

Women are hugely under-represented in politics and public life. And black and ethnic minority women are even less likely to have a public voice.

Research suggests that any minority must reach a critical mass of at least 30% before it can begin to influence group agendas. While far from a minority, women have yet to reach such heady heights across any public agenda.

And so the issues that are important to women – issues that affect their families, care provision, reproductive choice, local community resources – stay at the bottom of the agenda.

To encourage more women to participate in politics, in the economy, the media, and in social agencies, we need to better understand what prevents them doing so and how to get round those barriers.

With your support, Rosa will invest in initiatives that campaign for and support women’s equal participation and contribution to public life.