Through a comparison of France and the UK, this paper analyses the position of young women who are defined as not in education, employment or training (NEET) and economically inactive (EI). Little is known about the NEET EI group and how this status shapes young people’s lives during school-to-work transition. Consequently, the NEET EI group remains a ‘hidden’ problem in many countries and impacts to a much greater extent on young women, due to their propensity to assume caring responsibilities. Despite France and the UK having very different types of policy intervention and welfare support, there are similarities between them in terms of NEET EI populations and the barriers young women face.