Gender Discrimination in the Workplace
Earlier this year, recruitment agency Randstad surveyed 6,000 workers across the construction, education, healthcare and technology sectors, providing a report on gender equality in the workplace.
Key findings from the survey show that, despite advances in equality in the workplace:
- 72% of women have encountered inappropriate behaviour from male colleagues
- Just 18% of women across all industries report never having experienced gender discrimination
- 7% of women across all industries report having been passed over for promotion due to perceived gender discrimination
- Just under one in ten women say they have been offered a less important role because of their gender
- 73% of women say that employers in their industry are not doing enough to support female employees at work during the menopause
These statistics show that gender discrimination is still rife in the workplace; what more needs to be done to address these concerns? The respondents to the survey suggested the following measures, which would assist recruitment/employee retention:
- Flexible working hours
- Better work/life balance
- Better childcare options
- More female role models
- Equal growth opportunities between men and women
- Support during the menopause
However, the government’s recent proposals for “cutting red tape” for employers will release thousands of employers from reporting requirements and other regulations, likely to include gender pay gap reporting. Such action can only set back gender equality in the workplace.
If you believe that you have been subject to gender discrimination at work, Morrish Solicitors’ team of specialist employment solicitors can advise you. Please get in touch with us to see if we can help.
