Young Women’s Trust Finds Sex Discrimination Amongst HR Leaders

The charity Young Women’s Trust has found that sex discrimination exists in and amongst HR leaders. We explore their findings in more detail and outline when you could claim compensation if you’ve experienced gender discrimination.

Redmans Solicitors are specialists in all areas of employment law and have assisted many individuals with their legal problems. Contact us today to discover the eligibility of your case and gain advice about your possible next steps. You can get in touch now by:

Sex Discrimination Found by the Young Women’s Trust

Young Women’s Trust recently conducted research to reveal the sex discrimination young female employees currently face in the workplace. Their research involved questioning 4,000 young women, 1,000 young men, and almost 1,000 HR leaders.

The charity found that 34% of HR leaders knew of cases where young women faced workplace discrimination. The same amount confirmed that sexism existed within their organisation.

Alarmingly, 15% of HR leaders said men were more adept in senior management roles than women. 19% also admitted reluctance to hire women they thought could start a family, while only 13% said the same about men. What’s more, 28% of HR chiefs admitted it was more difficult for women to progress in their organisations compared to male colleagues.

Clearly, the research conducted by Young Women’s Trust highlights that sex discrimination is ever present within the workplace. However, the study didn’t end there, uncovering the views of young women.

The research learned that more young women have faced gender discrimination this year compared to the last. In fact, 23% said they were on lower pay compared to their male counterparts in the same job. Furthermore, 25% of female respondents felt less able to report discrimination, compared to only 17% of males.

As such, it’s evident that much still needs to be done to address the gender imbalance many young women still face in the workplace. Despite this, if someone unfortunately faces sex discrimination, there are steps they can take to try and resolve the matter.

Claim for Sex Discrimination

The Equality Act 2010 establishes laws protecting individuals from workplace discrimination. Under this legislation, discrimination occurs when someone is treated less favourably because of a “protected characteristic, ” including sex.

Despite there being no legal definition for “less favourable treatment”, it essentially means putting someone with a “protected characteristic” at a disadvantage compared to someone without it. In the context of sex discrimination, this could include:

  • Taking promotion opportunities away from someone
  • Making an individual’s job harder
  • Putting someone under emotional distress

One could be subjected to many forms of mistreatment, including direct discrimination, indirect discrimination, harassment and victimisation. What’s more, as well as the individual responsible for the mistreatment, the employer could be vicariously liable if they didn’t comply with their legal duty of care to prevent discrimination. Yet, there are certain times when employers can justify unfavourable treatment.

Should an employee experience sex discrimination, they may first want to consider making an informal complaint. This is because it’s usually quicker and less stressful than the other possible remedies. 

However, this resolution might not be possible, or it could provide an unsatisfactory outcome. In such circumstances, the employee could then raise a formal grievance. Yet, if this also doesn’t resolve the matter, the employee could make a sex discrimination claim to an employment tribunal. Here, the employee must satisfy specific eligibility criteria to proceed, including bringing their claim within the time limitations.

How Can Redmans Help?

If an employee has experienced sex discrimination, they may want to learn how they can remedy the issue. Redmans Solicitors are experts in employment law and can answer an employee’s questions, which may include:

  • What are the eligibility criteria to make a sex discrimination claim?
  • When can “less favourable treatment” be justified?
  • What is vicarious liability?
  • Who is protected by the Equality Act 2010?
  • What are the time limits to make a claim?

We can discuss an individual’s circumstances, address their concerns and uncover their validity to claim compensation. Once we’ve conducted a consultation, we can then advise on how best to proceed to resolve the matter if the individual is eligible.

Moreover, we understand everyone’s circumstances are different, especially in the current cost of living crisis. As such, we offer various funding options to ensure we can best meet your needs.

Therefore, if you’ve experienced sex discrimination at work and have any questions or want expert advice, contact us today. You can begin your journey with us now by: