Discrimination of young women at work is on the rise

Recent research from the charity Young Women’s Trust revealed alarming statistics about issues that face women at work. The study found that the percentage of young women who have experienced discrimination at work in the last year has risen to 50% from 42% last year. 23% of young women are earning less than young men doing the same job. 

Young Women’s Trust study also surveyed HR leaders and found that 15% of them agreed that men are better suited to senior management roles. 19% of these HR professionals said they would be reluctant to hire a woman who might go on to start a family.

Coople, a digital staffing agency that connects businesses in need of flexible support with individuals seeking work opportunities, has responded to these statistics.

Yves Schneuwly, Group Chief Commercial Officer at Coople comments:    

“It is very disappointing to hear about this research. One of the most alarming statistics is the rise in young women who report having experienced discrimination – 8% in just a year. Combining this with the high percentage of young women who feel unable to challenge it – 25% – and you get a clear picture of a major cultural issue. The more an organisation makes it easier for staff to challenge discrimination and speak up for themselves and their colleagues, the more improvement we should see.  

“It’s important that everyone gets a fair wage for their work and it’s shocking to hear that so many young women are not earning the same amount of money as their male counterparts in the same role. Transparency about wages helps everyone and the more that wages are out in the open, the less we will hopefully see this discrepancy.”  

“Not all of the blame can be placed on the shoulders of HR professionals – the 34% of HR leaders who said that they were aware of discrimination do not go on to say they didn’t take any action. Where it is a cause for concern is the 15% who said they would prefer to hire a man for a senior management position, and the 19% who said they would be reluctant to hire a woman who might go on to start a family. There is a difference between noticing a bias in your organisation and actively contributing towards it.  

“With fairness embedded into our company culture, and as one of our values, we’re committed to providing fair opportunities to all our Cooplers. At Coople, we are committed to realising equal pay through transparency in our job adverts, explicitly stating the hourly rate for each position. Equally qualified candidates must be paid the same, regardless of gender – and our technology and processes ensure that this happens.”