A new survey has revealed that around half of female employees have at some time or other, experienced discrimination at work.
Over 25,000 women have already taken part in the Opportunity Now survey which aims eventually to get responses from 100,000. About a fifth have so far claimed their career prospects have ground to a halt because of failures to be promoted and a smaller number, about one in 10, have alleged sexual harassment. An overwhelming majority, about 81%, believed that having children would harm their career prospects while two-thirds of those questioned said that society had an expectation that women should put their family before their job.
New figures from the Office for National Statistics show that the gender pay gap is widening again and both the Fawcett Society and the TUC say the findings show that the fight for equality in the workplace is far from over. Daisy Sands from the Fawcett Society said the survey was a stark reminder of the problems women routinely have to encounter in the UK’s labour market.
The TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said the battle for equality in the workplace was far from over, with spending cuts particularly hitting women hard as many work in the public sector.
