This Is How Many Women Have Lost Out On A Promotion To A Male Colleague

One in five women say they've missed out on a promotion to a male colleague, a new survey has found.

This proportion rises to 28% among women aged 25 to 34 – essentially those in the "millennial" age bracket – and to 24% among women aged 16 to 24.

Meanwhile, 18% of women who responded to the survey by recruitment specialists Glassdoor believe their gender holds them back at work.

Equally worryingly, nearly one in two women say they feel uncomfortable putting themselves forward for new opportunities at work. Some 35% say they believe male colleagues should be doing more to promote women in their workplace.

Whereas 33% of men say they're comfortable asking for a raise, only 22% of women feel the same way.

Glassdoor's survey released before International Women's Day follows recent research that highlights how women gain less financially from having a degree and how women's working weeks are getting longer.

It's also well known that the gender pay gap – which has barely shrunk since 2012 in the UK – widens when women become mothers, which means that millennial mums are now bearing the brunt of it.

With flexible working becoming an increasingly major priority for many of us, the survey found that 51% of women feel comfortable asking for time off for family reasons.

Meanwhile, a slightly higher proportion – 57% – feel comfortable asking for leave for medical reasons. Just under one in two (49%) say they feel happy discussing personal problems with their line manager.

"Employees want to work in an environment in which they feel professionally challenged and personally supported, no matter what they have going on in their lives," said Glassdoor's careers expert Jo Cresswell.

"It’s encouraging that women in particular feel comfortable raising personal challenges and situations with their managers, this will go a long way towards workplace satisfaction and a feeling of work life balance.”