85 per cent of women have seen gender discrimination at work, says new research

The majority of women and men have witnessed gender discrimination in the workplace, new research from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) has shown.

As many as 85 per cent of women and 80 per cent of men report that they have seen discriminatory behaviour in a professional environment. 

The CMI found that despite widespread concerns, 75 per cent of senior managers believe their peers aren't "actively and visibly championing gender initiatives". 

Companies with 250 or more employees must disclose the gender split of employees, their roles and salaries by April 2018 under new Government guidelines. But, in the survey of 856 managers, the CMI found that only 8 per cent of managers are aware of the size of the gender pay gap within their companies.

The news comes after an undercover report revealed a sexism scandal in the highest echelons of British business. The annual, all-male Presidents Club Charity Dinner, which 360 leaders attended, witnessed scenes of sexual harassment and gender discrimination.  

The more male-dominated an occupation, the bigger the gender pay gap

Ann Francke, chief executive of the Chartered Management Institute, said: "Leaders and their managers need to fix the range of everyday biased attitudes, actions and practices that make possible the bigger systemic problems that women face.

"Only then will organisations build inclusive cultures where women, other minorities, and men, can thrive."

She added that although it is widely accepted that "gender-balanced companies financially far outperform their peers", businesses are not addressing the problem with enough urgency.

McKinsey recently found that the UK's most successful companies have a large proportion of women in senior roles. The UK was shown to outperform the global average in terms of the proportion of women in management positions. But it still lags behind the US and Australia when it come to diversity.

Equal Pay Day shows slow progress for the gender pay gap

"While we’re starting to see change, progress is stuttering," said Francke. "Employers have great intentions but our report shows there’s still a yawning gap between the rhetoric and the reality of work for too many women."

Caroline Minashi, head of diversity at UBS, said companies need to be "creative" when hiring with diversity in mind. 

“As all organisations struggle to find women to fill senior leadership roles, we think we have access to a new talent pool that with a bit of creative support can make a fabulous contribution to the business," she said.