British business continues to fail women in the workplace

Over 40% of women say their gender has hindered their career… or will, finds a new survey from coaching consultancy Talking Talent.

The research, conducted among over a thousand professional women and working mothers, found more than seven in ten women rated their employer positively for retaining and progressing female talent, and yet 36% said they had experienced prejudice because of their gender. Indeed, 12% maintained that they had been passed over for promotion because of their gender.
This contradiction suggests many professional women do not feel comfortable voicing concerns over a lack of support or behaviour that can negatively impact their careers.

Talking Talent says that some sectors are much better for women than others however. Accountancy is the best sector for working women, with the highest scores for more positive indicators than any other profession.
At the other end of the scale, women in advertising, marketing and media rate their industry as worst for progressing female talent and a majority have faced prejudice and discrimination (51%).

Women in engineering and manufacturing are least likely to say they feel supported and least positive about their employer’s ability to retain female talent (11%). They are most likely to say their gender has hindered their career progress, with the majority citing a male dominated environment as a key reason.

Chris Parke, ceo of Talking Talent commented: “While some sectors are doing better than others, it is clear that UK employers need to do more to ensure strategies to support women are being properly accepted and implemented at the operational level. At the same time, employers need to promote a culture where professional women are comfortable voicing concerns about barriers to their careers. The level of prejudice and discrimination towards women and working mothers, and the fact such a large proportion have been passed over for promotion due to their gender is shocking.

“If employers fail to stamp this out and to introduce measures to support women particularly through maternity, employers will miss out on a huge section of their top talent – something they can ill-afford to do in today’s competitive economy.”

Picture credit: © Galina Barskaya | Dreamstime Stock Photos