Autumn Statement 2013 Telegraph Wonder Women wishlist: Oi George, your red box better not disappoint! Barbara Kasumu, co-founder of Elevation Networks (youth employment charity) Figures show that unemployment among women could rise to 1.5 million by 2018. With young women reported to already be disproportionately represented in low paid, low skilled jobs. I would like to see the Chancellor doing more to support young women into quality apprenticeships and training programmes, especially focusing on STEM careers and making them more appealing to women. I welcome the recent age cap being lifted off the government's start-up loan scheme, which has promised more focus on 'mumpreneurs'. More must be done to combat the lagging rate of women setting up businesses compared to their male counterparts. Karen Mattison, founder of Timewise (part-time jobs recruitment site) The UK's labour market is changing shape rapidly, and adjusting to the need for a more agile and flexible approach to work. But the world of recruitment still needs to catch up. I would like to see a commitment from the Chancellor to market the roll out of the Employer Allowance in April 2014, as a vehicle to encourage employers to think more creatively about their recruitment practices, specifically opening up more vacancies to flexible working options. If promoted effectively this could be a great way to help to stimulate jobs - particularly among smaller businesses who don't always have the budget, or need, for a full 5 days a week role. This would open doors for businesses to a whole new pool of skilled and experienced talent, and give people who need to work different patterns a better chance of having an agile career. Heather Jackson, chief executive, The Womens Business Forum (networking forum) The cost of childcare is one of the obstacles in supporting more women in an important part of their career that often collides with the early years of parenting ... and is commonly cited as a barrier to progression into senior roles, with high childcare costs acting as a disincentive for parents to give the full time commitment and dedication often required to succeed at that level. This situation has been exacerbated by the Government's child benefit cuts which took effect in January and affected women on a higher-income bracket more acutely. With less support, they are still required to meet childcare costs for the longer working hours that their professional roles can demand. With the benefits of women's economic participation proven in countless studies, are there personal tax allowances that could be introduced to help motivate women to progress into senior management roles and also to support the retention of women in business at this level? I would also encourage Mr Osborne to think about how the Government is going to encourage implementation of shared parental leave. One of the obstacles to this succeeding is the fact that some families will not be able to afford for the main breadwinner to take this leave unless their income is "topped up." Laura Perrins, a former barrister and stay at home mother with two small children who campaigns for Mothers at Home Matter We need a greater transferable tax allowance for married couples for basic and higher rate tax payers. I do not want more pointless giveaways that our kids will end up paying for in long run. And I do not want more spent on childcare. The childcare allowance is a £1 billion alone. A single-income family on an average income of £36,000 per annum will pay almost £9,000 in tax and national insurance, whereas a double-income family (i.e. a mother and a father earning) on exactly the same amount pays about £6,500. There is absolutely no justification for this other than the belief that women should leave their children and get out to work. I find it shocking that this gross unfairness and discrimination has been allowed to continue for so long; it must be challenged.