Gender discrimination in UK workplace persists, leading women to adapt the way they dress

RA Now

More than one quarter of women say they have experienced gender discrimination at work, including being groped by male colleagues, a survey suggests.

Of 1,500 UK workers polled, 27.4% say they have been discriminated against because of their gender, ranging from being questions about their intentions to start a family, being the subject of innuendos and finding they are passed over for promotion.

One in five of those surveyed by Business Environment feel they missed out on a promotion as a direct result of taking maternity leave.

Respondents said they are changing the way their dress to deal with the issue, despite 43.3% say they feel pressure over their appearance at work.

“These results demonstrate just how widespread the problem of gender discrimination in the workplace is,” said David Saul, managing director of Business Environment.

 “More needs to be done by employers to have an open discussion about what is and what isn’t acceptable in the workplace. It should be clear where the boundaries lie.”

This comes after UKIP leader Nigel Farage sparked criticism with his controversial comments early this month about the “worth” of women working in the City after they had taken career breaks to have children. Farage also said there was “no discrimination against women at all” in the City.

Arpita Dutt, partner with City employment specialists BDBF, said the exact opposite is true. “Although there have been great steps to end workplace discrimination particularly in the City, it unfortunately continues to be an issue facing women, and remains and issue even for those at the highest levels,” she said.