Glass ceiling for women is 'nowhere near shattered'

Fresh evidence that women still face discrimination at work was revealed today when two new studies showed the "glass ceiling" is nowhere near being shattered.

Research discovered bias against training opportunities for older women because they were seen as offering "poor return" on investment.

A separate report disclosed underlying sexism in the civil service, with women being offered flexible working arrangements but discriminated against if they took advantage of them.

The first study involved human resources managers from almost 50 companies who were shown a series of fictitious applications from workers for funding to improve their skills.

Women over the age of 50 were more likely to be turned down while younger men were usually accepted if they asked for money to go on training courses.

Dr Almuth McDowall, from Surrey University, said most of the managers she questioned believed they did not discriminate against women and were not ageist.

They justified rejecting requests from older women by saying they were not regarded as offering a good return for any money spent on training.

Dr McDowall said the research threw up "subliminal bias" against older women at work.

The second study, by Fiona Gavin of Manchester Business School, claimed there was an underlying negative attitude towards gender equality among managers in the civil service.

Her study of an international civil service organisation, which includes the UK, showed that managers denied women were discriminated against even though the number of women in senior jobs was very low.

She said: "One manager actually told me that inequality did not exist and then detailed how many women were in management jobs - just one out of five in senior posts and two out of seven in middle management.

"The link between management and male was so ingrained that any advancement by women was seen as equality.

"They lure people by offering flexible working, but there is an unspoken rule that you cannot advance your career if you take advantage of that policy."

Both sets of research were presented today at the British Psychological Society's occupational psychology conference in Bristol.