Sexism in the workplace is still an everyday reality for millions of women across the UK according to new research

According to the data, commissioned to mark the release of Co-operatives UK’s 2026 Co-operative and Mutual Economy report, despite more than a third (38%) of men believing that sexism is no longer a problem in the workplace, two thirds (62%) of women say it is a regular occurrence with one in 10 (11%) experiencing it on a daily basis.

Almost half (44%) of women have experienced some form of sexism throughout their careers, such as being interrupted or talked over (38%), getting asked to do paperwork that isn’t part of their role (22%), being requested to clean or tidy the office (21%) and being paid less than their male counterparts (21%).

Other examples of everyday sexism for working women include being assumed to be an assistant (20%), getting told to do the coffee round for senior colleagues (20%) and being made to feel guilty for leaving the office early to collect a poorly child (18%).

In fact, being requested to do something that wasn’t part of their role, like making tea or booking a meeting room, is something that almost HALF of women (49%) have experienced more than once.

But the disparity doesn’t end there - 23% of women say they have discovered that a male colleague was being paid more than them for doing the same job.

The research also found that six in 10 (58%) women have had their authority undermined, JUST because they are a woman, while over a third (35%) feel like they have had to work harder so they are taken as seriously as the men in their workplace.

Over a third (34%) of working women go a step further and think men are treated more favourably and get away with more at work.

It’s no wonder that more than half (51%) of the 2,000 Britons polled say they have witnessed sexism in the workplace.

Rose Marley, CEO of Co-operatives UK, said: “That two-thirds of women say sexism remains a daily reality at work won't surprise those living it - and that's exactly the problem. This research highlights just how much progress is still needed to achieve true equality at work and co-operatives, though ahead of the curve, are not exempt from that.

Rose Marley continues, "But almost a quarter is still a long way from half, and a smaller pay gap is still a pay gap. Being better than the FTSE 100 is a step in the right direction, but it’s not the same as being fair."

"Everyday sexism, whether it's being underestimated, sidelined, or underpaid, continues to be commonplace. Businesses - co-operatives included - have a responsibility to confront these behaviours head-on and create workplaces where everyone is respected, valued, and able to thrive, in line with the values of co-operation."

A fifth (21%) reported incidents of sexism to HR, while 30% stood by and did nothing because they didn’t want to get involved. 27% didn’t think reporting it would change anything, with 24% ignoring it so that no-one got in trouble.

21% don’t think it is in their place to say anything, with over sixties (32%) most likely to have walked away. Of those that did report the sexism, 27% said it didn’t stop the problem.

The findings sit alongside new data from Co-operatives UK’s 2026 Co-operative and Mutual Economy Report, which reveal co-operatives already do things differently. Women lead almost a quarter (24%) of the UK’s 100 largest co-operatives - more than two and a half times the rate in the FTSE 100 (10%). Co-operatives required to report their gender pay gap also outperform the national average, paying women 9% less than men on average, compared with an 12% gap across all reporting employers.

Co-operatives - businesses owned and run by their members rather than external shareholders - are worth £43.3bn to the UK economy and have 17.6 million members across the UK. They are also more than four times as likely as the UK average to pay the Living Wage: 2.4% of co-operatives are accredited Living Wage employees, compared to 0.6% of UK businesses overall.

The research took a deep dive into different sectors at work, with 39% unaware of what a co-operative business is. For the respondents who did know, 58% are aware that a co-operative is an organisation that is run by its members.

The type of business that Britons trust the most are family owned businesses (28%), with 26% believing that family companies are the most likely to treat their employees fairly, followed by co-operatives (22%) and public sector organisations (18%).

Table: The everyday sexism experienced in the workplace, according to British women:

The 2026 Co-operative and Mutual Economy report is published on Thursday 24 September.