Vast majority of women say gender discrimination occurs in the workplace, study reveals

Men are twice as likely as women to consider claims of gender discrimination at work to be overestimated

The majority of workers admit that they would find it unusual for a man to take more than two weeks paternity leave (Getty)

A total of 80 per cent of UK women think that gender discrimination occurs in the workplace and almost a third consider it to be inherent, according to a survey conducted by an accrediting body for the human resources industry.

Investors in People, which works with thousands of businesses nationwide, questioned 1,000 women and 1,000 men online in January and found that 66 per cent of all young people claim to have experienced gender discrimination first-hand.

The concluding report, published on Thursday, showed that across both sexes, 73 per cent said that they believe gender discrimination at work exists. But Investors in People also found that 30 per cent of all men say that claims of gender discrimination in the workplace are overestimated, compared to only 15 per cent of women.

The organisation’s chair, Valerie Todd, said that the findings reveal that “an unacceptably high proportion of women feel that gender discrimination exists”.

“The fact that nearly half of female workers have experienced this sort of discrimination shows that there is still more to be done in ensuring that workplaces across the country are providing fair and inclusive environments for all workers, regardless of gender,” she said.

Beyond discrimination, the survey also found that, at 60 per cent, the majority of workers said that they would find it unusual for a man to take more than two weeks paternity leave – a figure that has remained steady for the past two years.

In February, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy published research revealing that even though around 285,000 couples every year qualify for shared parental leave after having a baby, take up could be as low as 2 per cent.

And the study also found that there are still clear gendered preferences when individuals consider what sector to seek work in. Men are three times more likely to consider a career in manufacturing than women, the report shows, while women are nearly three times more likely to consider careers in the health and social services sector.

Investor in People’s chief executive, Paul Devoy, said that all of this shows that “there is still much to be done in tackling gender inequality”.

“The fact that there are visible gendered preferences in sectors like manufacturing and social care, coupled with the vastly different perceptions in the way that men and women view gender discrimination in the workplace, suggests a serious lack of communication in some areas,” he said.

“For the UK to truly unlock a prosperous, fair society for all, we must bridge the gender gap as soon as possible,” he added.

Mr Devoy also said that it was particularly concerning that just 51 per cent of workers agree that their workplace has a culture of encouraging gender equality.