One in five employers admits if a woman is pregnant or has children it lowers her chances of promotion, finds study

Some bosses also willing to admit women taken less seriously on returning from maternity leave

One in five employers admit that if a woman is pregnant or has children it impacts decisions on whether to promote them, new research suggests.

A poll by the Young Women’s Trust shows 22 per cent of bosses polled disagreed that “whether a woman is pregnant or has young children has no impact on organisational decisions regarding career progression or promotion”.

The survey of senior human resources professionals, which was commissioned by YouGov with a sample size of 816, found that the same proportion said pregnancy was “frowned upon” in their organisation within the first year of employment.

Some employers were even willing to admit that women were taken less seriously in their workplace when they returned from maternity leave, although women bosses were more likely to notice this than men (17 per cent and 9 per cent respectively).

It comes after a separate study showed that 80 per cent of UK women thought gender discrimination occurred in the workplace and almost one-third considered it to be inherent.

The research by 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.

Commenting on the latest findings, Young Women's Trust chief executive Carole Easton said: “The level of discrimination that Young Women's Trust has uncovered against young mothers who are in work or looking for jobs is shocking.

"It is in everyone's interest to help young mothers who want to work. They have a huge amount to contribute to their workplaces and many want to be financially independent and support their families.

"Tackling discrimination would benefit young mums, businesses and the economy as a whole.

"Employers should value young mums' contributions to their workplaces and do more to accommodate them, including by offering more flexible and part-time working opportunities."