An increasing number of women think companies are biased in favour of men and that their careers are being held back, according to a study by law firm Peninsula.

The research found that four out of five female employees felt their careers were being held back and most said they had faced discrimination.

More than four out of five said they would not bother to complain to their manager if they were being harassed because they did not think it would be taken seriously.

“Employers must make sure they take positive assertive actions to create a company culture which makes it clear discrimination won’t be tolerated,” says Peninsula’s Peter Done.

“It is unacceptable that such a high number of female workers have felt intimidated and discriminated against purely on the basis of their gender,” he added.