Sexism in the City: MPs launch inquiry into barriers faced by women in finance

• Inquiry: Sexism in the City
• Read the call for evidence

In the new inquiry, the Committee will examine the progress made in removing gender pay gaps, and what role firms, the Government and regulators should play in combatting sexual harassment and misogyny.

The MPs will explore the role of the Government and regulators in acting as gender diversity role models, how they should ensure cultures and policies support women’s aspirations and progress, and whether financial services careers should be marketed to a more diverse base of individuals.

The previous Treasury Committee’s 2018 inquiry called for firms to encourage the progression of women in finance by abolishing 'alpha-male' cultures, removing the stigma of flexible working with senior men leading by example, and encouraging firms to publish strategies for closing gender pay gaps. The MPs will evaluate the industry’s progress on implementing those recommendations, as well as the impact of the Treasury’s Women in Finance Charter.

Chair comment

Commenting on the new inquiry, Harriett Baldwin MP, Chair of the Treasury Committee, said:

“As a Committee, we’d like to know whether women feel more supported in the financial services industry than at the time of the previous Committee’s inquiry five years ago. We’ll be investigating if enough work has been done to build more supportive workplace cultures, how harassment and misogyny can be addressed, and the role the Government and regulator should play in role modelling behaviours.

“Has the culture in this highly paid sector shifted at all in the last five years? This is a subject of marked importance to our Committee and we look forward to beginning work on this important topic.”

Further information

• Treasury Committee

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