Nearly half of British women have been patronised at work

Generation Y women encounter the issue most commonly, with half of women aged 25 and 34 saying they have felt patronised at work. This compares with two-fifths of 18 to 24 year olds, 36 per cent aged 35 to 44, 38 per cent aged 45 to 54 and 39 per cent of Baby Boomers.

East Anglian women come up against patronising attitudes at work most often, while women in the South East experience the issue the least.

The survey also asked how confident British women feel about showing ambition at work. Just a quarter of women surveyed admitted to feeling confident and proud about showing their ambition in the workplace, with almost a fifth feeling awkward or very embarrassed.

This research follows recent news that revealed the most patronising pet names women encounter in the workplace, with ‘bitchy’, ‘hormonal’, ‘high maintenance’ and ‘ball-breaker’ all making the list.

Justine Cobb, operations director at Crunch, who commissioned the research, said: “This news is disappointing, but does not come as a total surprise. The corporate world has come a long way in terms of equality but it would be naïve to assume gender discrimination and patronising behaviour is a thing of the past. Given such experiences in the workplace, it’s no surprise there’s a growing number of women choosing to start their own businesses instead.

“With more female world leaders taking centre stage and gender issues being discussed and shared more openly, let’s hope such attitudes and behaviour soon become non-existent,” added Justine.

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