We know what most young women in the UK think about Brexit – and it's not positive. The 2016 EU referendum divided the population sharply along age lines, and the schism hasn't healed. Around 75% of 18 to 24-year-olds who voted backed Remain, according to major polls conducted after the vote, compared to just 40% of over-65s, and research suggests the age groups may be even more polarised now. The movement for a second vote is spearheaded largely by young people, with groups like Women For A People's Vote campaigning to ensure Brexit doesn't leave women worse off.
"Women in the UK will be deeply affected by [a] bad Brexit deal," the group argues (which is worth bearing in mind ahead of the Commons vote on Theresa May's revised Brexit deal tonight). "The NHS, personal finance, rights and protections in the workplace, and opportunities for future generations of women are under threat from Brexit." Indeed, a report by the Young Women's Trust in 2017 found that Brexit is "a major cause of anxiety for young people" in the UK. When asked what makes them anxious, the most commonly cited reason was leaving the EU (42%) – more so than worries about being able to buy a home in the future (41%) and their current financial position (37%).
As well as being the butt of every joke (Brexit has been turned into an SNL sketch) and mind-boggling to many (including Chrissy Teigen who tweeted that she just "cannot grasp" what's going on), Brexit has attracted the attention of the world, even if it's for all the wrong reasons. But what do young women globally make of Brexit, and how might it impact their lives?
Refinery29 asked young women from around the world – spanning Europe, North America, Africa, Asia and Australasia – to share their opinions. Brace yourself...
Star Kendrick, 27, is a singer/songwriter from the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Brexit is a bad idea... A lot of my European friends who have lived and established a life in the UK have felt displaced since the vote. With the uncertainty of what the next few years will mean for them, many have packed up their lives and moved back to the continent, unwilling to risk spending more time in the UK only to be forced to leave. Being from Australia, one of the main things I loved about the UK was its cultural diversity – how it seemed to accept and embrace multiculturalism – but Brexit has marginalised Europeans.
I divide my time between Australia and London, and after living in the UK for a number of years I’ll be able to apply for citizenship. London is a vibrant city so I'll always love visiting, however, I'd be less likely to migrate permanently to the UK if I have little likelihood of free access to Europe once, and if, I become a citizen. For me, the incentive to live in the UK permanently has been its close ties and connection to Europe, especially for music. I believe Brexit will limit opportunities for musicians and artists who would like to tour and work freely in Europe.
Fernanda Sarkis Coelho, 33, is a writer and screenwriter in São Paulo, Brazil.
Brexit is a bad idea for the world, but particularly for the UK. I know there were many factors behind the vote. In reference to immigration, I find it hypocritical from the UK considering its historic action in exploring underdeveloped countries. Brexit also creates an atmosphere of segregation in a world that should be embracing togetherness, breaking barriers and sharing more with countries that are having difficulties. Can you imagine if Brazil decided to give up its responsibility to preserve the Amazon because it would be economically good for us?
I lived in London for six years and had some of the best times of my life. I feel sorry for my friends who are afraid of what will happen after Brexit. I don't know a single British person who's happy about it. I was thinking about going back to the UK to do a course but I don't think I will anymore. If I had to choose somewhere to make a living it wouldn't be in the UK anyway. I'd prefer a country with fresher ideas that was less conservative.
Siri Jonina Egede, 31, is a sociology research assistant in Copenhagen, Denmark.
I was living in London on that tragic day in June when the referendum happened. Brexit is a disaster, and though a democratic decision, the public were misled and lied to during Leave's smear campaign. It's a step backwards and will mean that human rights (for women, workers and immigrants) and progress on the environment will be jeopardised. I agree that the EU is too centralised, too bureaucratic and too detached from its voters, but I believe that working together is the way forward. Most importantly, I believe the wrong people will pay the price – the less privileged who hoped to benefit from Brexit in the first place. Brexit happened because people are alienated by inequity and inequality and I fear that Brexit will only create a more fragmented, alienated and unequal UK.
It has already affected me and my British partner's life. The referendum changed my view of the UK and it was an easy decision to relocate to Copenhagen. As an EU citizen working in the country, it's unpleasant to be told you're not wanted, and having your future rights put into question doesn't make you want to stay. Going forward, it might mean that my partner and I, and our future child (due in two weeks), won't be able to live in the UK. It might also complicate my partner's work status in Denmark as he is employed by a UK company.
All the uncertainty, drama and instability is a disgrace. My Danish friends and family find it crazy what is going on in the British government. I want to make sure that my partner's rights are protected in Denmark, and I'm happy our child will be born as an EU citizen. I'll still visit the UK to see friends and my partner's family. I'm curious to see whether the same flights will be available and whether it will become more costly, as these factors might determine how often we visit.
Delphine Poussin, 30, is a careers counsellor in Annecy, France.
I think Brexit is a good thing. It was the UK population who decided to leave and the country's leaders should honour this. Also, the UK's current economic and social situation, while similar to lots of other countries, is still quite different to the rest of Europe. The EU imposes rules and regulations that could be beneficial for some countries and catastrophic for others, and therefore having the power to opt in and out on a case by case basis poses a risk to the daily lives and everyday wellbeing of all Europeans.
At the moment in France, all we're seeing in the papers is coverage of the yellow vest movement. Unfortunately we're struggling to resolve this crisis and listen to people's demands because European leaders ultimately have the final say. The will of the French people is relegated to the bottom rank. The UK's decision to leave the EU is a good decision as far as I'm concerned, because first and foremost they listened to their people. Yes, Brexit is a risk but I think the UK is a pioneer and if it works, it'll be an example to follow.
I love my country and its culture of openness, but I feel gagged by the votes of my leaders. At the end of this current political term, if the UK's situation is improving with Brexit this could lead me to vote for someone who isn't 100% pro EU. The first time I visited the UK was in part because of its independence in the face of the big European machine. Despite its proximity to France, the UK has always displayed free will. I'd continue to visit regardless of Brexit.
Annika Turkowski, 29, is a curator in Berlin, Germany.
Brexit is probably the worst idea of a European state since the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961. People have been lied to – the Brexit campaigners' arguments turned out to be false – and a generation of young people was robbed of its future. It's bad for the country’s economy – the UK already had the best of the best (trade and other) conditions of the European Union and the biggest freedom within it. It's bad for the country’s political structure – new conflicts with Ireland and Scotland will arise. It's bad for the people – less trade means fewer jobs and poorer, unhappier people. It's bad for the future of many young generations – travelling, studying and working abroad will be more difficult and more expensive. In the end nobody wins and the UK loses so much.
Travelling to the UK will probably be a bit more complicated (with longer queues at border control, I imagine), but Brexit won't have a huge impact on my life. The referendum made my decision to move back to Germany at the end of my master's in London in 2016 very easy. You instantly feel less welcome in a country that shows such a blatant disregard for foreigners.
I don't think Brexit is irreversible. Take the Berlin Wall, one of Germany’s worst ideas – it was abolished 30 years later, leaving a reunited, thriving population. People can learn from their mistakes.
Akpene Diata Hoggar, 25, is a creative consultant and Miss Universe Ghana 2018. She is based in Accra, Ghana.
Migration is inevitable. Countries are now interconnected, thanks to information, the ease of travel and technology, so the UK’s decision to split from the EU is not a sustainable or creative way of approaching migration at a time like this.
The president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, declared 2019 as “the Year of Return” for all Africans, especially Ghanaians living in the diaspora. I hope this, coupled with the unknown risks of Brexit, encourages Ghanaians in the UK and British Ghanaian citizens to return to Ghana. It’ll be impossible for me to never visit the UK, though – I have family and friends there and it's known as one of the most creative places in the world.
Photo: @TwinsDntBeg
Lai Man Leung, 31, is an assistant director in Hong Kong.
To me, Brexit is a gesture to end cooperation and world peace. The original idea behind the European Union was to make money by trading together and to prevent war. In this time of political and economic instability, countries should work together.
In the long term, it may influence other countries to want self-rule on immigration, national borders, trade and sovereignty. It could reshape the mentality of international politics and override the efforts made after the Second World War on world peace and international cooperation. It will also become a bad example to autocratic states such as China, the country Hong Kong is in, to maintain 'self-determination' by violating humanitarian values and turn its back on international humanitarian crises.
London is known as an international city embracing free movement and multiculturalism and showing leadership, politically, economically, intellectually and culturally. However, Brexit suggests people are increasingly suspicious of others, and discriminatory towards people of different races. This shouldn't be happening in a city that's admired by the entire world.
Amandeep Kaur, 31, is a celebrity fashion stylist in Mumbai, India.
I don't think Brexit was a good idea. I'm an avid traveller and love to visit Europe every alternate year or so. I haven’t been able to go to the UK on a vacation because it keeps me from planning other European countries in a single trip. I don’t want to spend money on two different visas. As a result I've travelled to about 10 countries in Europe but have been to London only once since, and that was on a work trip.
Symoné Currie, 26, is an artist in Kingston, Jamaica.
Many of these 'super countries' [like the UK and the US] have had a hand in destabilising the countries they are trying to build walls and erect borders against. Open borders is utopian and I'd like to see it happen eventually, but unfortunately, at this moment I’m not sure if it's feasible. Brexit has no direct impact on my life. I’ll probably only feel the effects if the cost of goods rises due to additional trade costs.
Charlotte Croft, 25, is a bank teller in Hamilton, New Zealand.
Based on the small amount I know about Brexit, I think it’s a bad idea. I’ve heard a lot more about the negative impact, such as trade sanctions and people's ability to work, rather than positive effects. It won't impact me directly at the moment, but I was looking at potential job opportunities in Europe and the UK and I was a bit put off by the uncertainty surrounding work visas. More research and consideration would be needed if I did decide I wanted to work in the UK.
Blessing Ijoma, 27, is a business developer and a cofounder of Rucove in Aba, Nigeria.
Brexit is kind of good news for us. Due to the poor Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) negotiation, we felt pushed to open up access to our markets to European firms. We’ve learnt a lot from this and I believe our government is working to negotiate better trade engagements with the UK. I’m optimistic that our agricultural strength will help us harvest wider opportunities in the UK, should Brexit happen. This will further help agricultural suppliers in Rucove to leverage opportunities that the EU hinders.
I’m passionate about empowering large farmers and agricultural suppliers – mostly Africans – to reduce agricultural waste and to be more productive and successful. To do that, I need to connect them with opportunities at a massive scale. If anything, Brexit will make me more likely to visit the UK. I need to explore opportunities and leverage those that align with our company mission.
Karolina Liczbinska, 21, is a fashion student from Poland.
Brexit is a terrible idea. I’m not an expert on politics and the economy, but I doubt it’s going to make anything better. I think the fashion industry will suffer if the UK loses the privileges of being in the EU.
I’m scared it will make it harder for people like me – from outside the UK – to live in and get a job there. I’m also afraid that the flights between Poland and the UK will become more expensive. I had planned to work in the UK for a few years but I don’t know if I'd visit after that. Maybe for work trips if I ever need to, but I doubt I'd visit for leisure.
Maria Rita, 33, is a fashion photographer in Lisbon, Portugal.
I have been against Brexit since the beginning. I don’t believe people should be constricted by borders and the UK leaving the EU is a step back. We should be tearing walls down, not building new ones. I don’t think it will have a direct effect on my life, but I live in a country that mainly profits from tourism and a big percentage of tourists in Portugal are from the UK, so it will definitely have an impact on my country.
I lived in London for a few years and still have an emotional connection with the city and great friends who live there, so I visit regularly. It’s my go-to city for culture and exhibitions which feed my work. I don’t think I will stop visiting the UK, but I probably won't go that often if the borders make it too complicated.
Irina Tataurova, 32, owns a clothing shop in Saint Petersburg, Russia.
Based on the opinions of people I know, the articles I've read and the information I surround myself with, Brexit seems to be a bad decision that stands in the way of progress. Being from Russia, I've always felt isolated from the rest of the world – we can't move around as freely as Europeans. I always thought that in an ideal future we wouldn't have borders, we would all be citizens of the world.
At the same time, the EU is a complete mess, too. It's a bunch of old politicians from both sides – left and right – doing their business as usual, and not taking regular people into consideration. Brexit won't affect me, I'm just sad to see it happening and concerned for people whose lives it will affect.
Julia Monica Ortiz De Manuel, 25, is a master's student working for a European multinational. She lives in Valencia, Spain.
Speaking as a European, I think Brexit is a huge mistake – not only for British people but for all European Union citizens. Now, with future economic power likely to be divided between the big Asian countries, Europeans with common values, goals and lifestyles should stand and work together.
Working in maritime sea freight, my colleagues and I are waiting to see how Brexit will affect our business as a lot of vessels sailing to Asia depart from British ports carrying goods from all over the Union. For students like my sister, who is learning English, I am sure that next year instead of going to the UK she will choose to go to Malta or Ireland instead.
The possibility of having to apply for a visa to visit the UK makes a weekend trip to London less likely for me than any other European city, such as Amsterdam, Vienna, Paris, Lisbon or Brussels.
Gale Hung, 30, is a fashion designer in Taiwan.
I think Brexit is a bad idea, considering the global economy is getting worse and there is a trade war between the US and China. I'm not an expert on UK or EU economic policy, so I can only give an opinion, but it would be good if the UK remained a part of the EU because it might benefit the Union. In Taiwan, we are tying to make friends with other countries to survive during this bad economic situation.
Brexit won't really affect me because I’m not European. But it will be more difficult for EU citizens to get jobs in the UK – perhaps as difficult as it is for non-EU citizens. I don't think it will make me less likely to visit the UK, because there are still reasons for me to go, like travelling and the fashion business.
Sarah Murphy, 35, works in marketing and lives in San Franscico, USA.
Brexit is short-sighted and awful. My company is opening an office in London this year and we can't really plan for anything at the moment. We have no idea what is coming down the tracks. Aside from that, Brexit won't change anything for me personally. I used to live in the UK and I still love going back. If the pound really fails it could actually make me more likely to move there as I couldn't afford to buy in London before.
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