BBC NEWSAmericasAfricaEuropeMiddle EastSouth AsiaAsia PacificArabicSpanishRussianChineseWelsh
BBCiCATEGORIES  TV  RADIO  COMMUNICATE  WHERE I LIVE  INDEX   SEARCH 

BBC NEWS
 You are in:  UK
News image
Front Page 
World 
UK 
England 
Northern Ireland 
Scotland 
Wales 
UK Politics 
Business 
Sci/Tech 
Health 
Education 
Entertainment 
Talking Point 
In Depth 
AudioVideo 
News image


Commonwealth Games 2002

BBC Sport

BBC Weather

SERVICES 
Tuesday, 2 April, 2002, 23:18 GMT 00:18 UK
Women say 'workplace is racist'
A doctor examines a patient
Women thought the best opportunities were in medicine
A majority of women believe the workplace is racist and that career choices are limited by ethnic background, according to a survey.

Black and Asian women feel they face discrimination at work not only because of their gender, but their colour as well, said the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE).


It is still a fact that women do less well in the workplace

Beverley Bernard
CRE deputy chairwoman

Deputy chairwoman Beverley Bernard said companies needed to take action.

"Women clearly feel that race is a barrier to career choice and career progression.

"Employers should take note," she said.

Positive discrimination

Two-thirds of British women believe race can limit their career choice and promotion, according to the survey findings published in She Magazine

Only half of those 1,100 women aged over 16 surveyed believed Britain was a society based on equal opportunity.

Just one in four were in favour of positive discrimination at work, but more on grounds of age than race.

Ms Bernard said employers could not afford to ignore the concerns of half of Britain's workforce.

"It is still a fact that women do less well in the workplace".

She said they were promoted less and suffered greater harassment and bullying at work than men.

"Ethnic minority women face all of these problems, with the added dimension of racial discrimination on top."

The research studied British women's attitudes to racial issues, including employment and relationships.

It follows CRE seminars last year with ethnic minority women who said they were being excluded from the public policy-making process at a national and regional level.

Survey findings included:

  • Blacks and Asians were more likely to be in favour of positive discrimination in police, politics or education.

  • Nearly all women surveyed thought health professions offer the most opportunities to ethnic minorities.

  • The posts of prime minister, head of MI5 or chief of the British armed forces were the least likely to be filled by someone from an ethnic minority.

  • The editor of The Sun newspaper, or the managers of the England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland football teams were the most likely to be filled by someone from an ethnic minority by 2010.

  • More than half of black or Asian women surveyed claimed to have friends from different racial backgrounds compared to one in seven white women.

  • See also:

    16 Mar 02 | Education
    Black pupils 'under-achieving'
    Internet links:


    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

    Links to more UK stories are at the foot of the page.


    E-mail this story to a friend

    Links to more UK stories



    News imageNews image