Through these insight-based descriptive portraits, we aim to provide a broader understanding of women between 25 and 29 in the South East.

These portraits are fictional representations based on aggregated data and insights. While they are not real people, they reflect the collective traits and challenges faced by women in our target audience. By personifying demographic data, these portraits offer a holistic view of the target audience, shedding light on their motivations and barriers to undertaking cervical screening.

Samira – career orientated

Samira is a 28-year-old career-focused woman who shares accommodation with fellow professionals. She commutes to her London job three days a week and works from home on the others. Samira is driven to advance her career and dedicates little time to self-care, considering illness an inconvenience. Her demanding job makes personal appointments challenging, and she often prioritises work over them.

Past anxiety makes Samira apprehensive about cervical screening due to concerns about pain and discomfort. She prefers to avoid getting undressed in front of doctors. Active on various social media platforms, she’s influenced by the content she follows, including lifestyle and purchasing choices driven by influencer culture.

Molly – university student

Molly, a 25-year-old university student pursuing a master’s degree, lives in student housing while balancing her studies, part-time retail job, and volunteering. She remains connected to her family and prioritises self-care with exercise, meditation, and a vegan diet. Molly values personal growth through travel and creative pursuits, a mindset nurtured during the body positivity movement’s peak in her teenage years.

Molly maintains an open dialogue with peers about body image and mental health and has friends with related mental health needs. She’s in a relationship with a woman, vaccinated against HPV, and doesn’t consider cervical screening necessary.

Passionate about social justice, Molly advocates for gender equality, racial justice, LGBTQIA+ rights, and environmental sustainability. She actively participates in protests, volunteers for causes, and strives to make a positive impact on the world. Inclusivity is crucial to her, as she and many of her friends identify as LGBTQIA+.

With a wide social circle and a strong presence on social media, Molly is likely to use her networks to share her cervical screening experience, potentially raising awareness and educating her peers.

Ellie – single working mother

Ellie, a 25-year-old single mother, lives in a small flat with her 4-year-old daughter. She works part-time in a care home while attending college to become a nurse, driven by her desire to provide a good life for her child and be a positive role model. Financially, Ellie relies on government support with minimal assistance from her daughter’s father. She finds emotional support and occasional childcare from her nearby family.

Ellie’s daily routine centres around her daughter’s needs. She starts early, preparing her for nursery, then commutes to work or classes via public transport. After picking up her daughter in the afternoon, her focus shifts to childcare. Once her daughter is asleep, Ellie dedicates time to college work. Her social circle is small, but she actively engages on various social media platforms, favouring streaming services over traditional media.

Despite past experiences with anxiety and depression, Ellie remains hopeful about the future. Self-care takes a backseat as she’s willing to work through illness to support her daughter, given her financial constraints. Ellie has received the HPV vaccination and is not currently sexually active, leading her to believe she doesn’t require screening. However, if the opportunity arises and it doesn’t interfere with her parenting or work responsibilities, she’d consider undergoing screening to set a positive example. Still, she may need to cancel if her daughter or work demands her attention.

Victoria – stay at home mother

Victoria, a 29-year-old mother of three children (ages 4, 6, and 8), lives with her husband in a small village. She’s a full-time stay-at-home mum, dedicating her days to caring for her kids and managing the household. Her routine involves early mornings preparing the children for school, chauffeuring them to various activities, handling household chores, cooking, and cleaning.

In addition to her caregiving role, Victoria actively participates in her children’s school community, volunteering at events and supporting the parents and friends’ committee. The family is currently grappling with the financial strains of the cost-of-living crisis, prompting Victoria to contemplate returning to work.

While aware of the importance of cervical screening, Victoria struggles to find the time, prioritising her family’s wellbeing. She believes she’ll be fine as long as she doesn’t experience any symptoms. Victoria maintains an online presence, following mum-bloggers on social media and consuming traditional media in the evenings.

Nina – new to England

Nina, 25, lives in a shared house with others and holds a low-paying job, making ends meet on a week-to-week basis. She hasn’t registered with a local GP due to concerns about affording healthcare. While she can understand and speak English to some extent, her proficiency is limited, particularly in dealing with complex bureaucracy, which undermines her confidence in communicating.

Nina lacks knowledge about cervical screening and its importance, possibly reflecting unmet health needs. Her primary focus is building a life in England and securing a better future for herself. She maintains a small social circle and occasionally interacts with migrant services and local charities but generally feels isolated. While she engages with social media, her connections are primarily with content from her home country.

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