Women believe sexism is still rife in the workplace and that they are disadvantaged when it comes to pay, promotion and age, a new British survey concludes.

Almost two thirds of women (63 per cent) believe that a woman’s age is seemingly more important in the workplace than a man’s, according to the study carried out for Marie Claire magazine and women-in-business network Everywoman.

Almost half (46 per cent) have experienced sexism and 44 per cent said that a male colleague had made an inappropriate comment about their appearance.

Nearly four fifths (78 per cent) said that being attractive helps them to get on better and 60 per cent think that overweight women are discriminated against. Three fifths (60 per cent) think that men are better at getting pay rises and 58 per cent believe men are better at getting a promotion.

More than half (53 per cent) do not believe positive discrimin-ation is a good thing to ensure female representation on boards.

When asked what would have the biggest impact on climbing the career ladder, it was being given the opportunity of a mentorship that the majority wanted and to work for a female boss (58 per cent), not a man.

Two thirds of women (66 per cent) believe mentoring is an essential business practice, yet very few have experienced it in their workplace. More than two thirds (72 per cent) have no such scheme in place and the same number (72 per cent) have never been mentored. Two thirds of those who had been in a mentoring scheme said it had a positive effect on their business (60 per cent).

Trish Halpin, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire magazine, said: “The results of our survey with Everywoman proves that there is a real need for mentoring in the workplace. It also demonstrates the important role it plays in helping women to fulfil their full potential, launch the businesses they’d always hoped for and achieve even greater success in their careers.”

Some 2,913 women, age range 18 to 55, took part in the survey across 12 UK regions.