调查:女人容貌比能力吃香

　　It's news which will come as no surprise to women struggling to rise to the top in the workplace. Sexism is till rife and appearance counts for more than ability according to a survey released Monday。

　　Almost half of women questioned said the glass ceiling still exists and 44 percent said that a male colleague had even made an inappropriate comment about their appearance。

　　The Marie Claire and everywoman survey of nearly 3,000 women exposes the workplace as a battleground when it comes to pay, promotion and age. Almost half (46 percent) of the women aged 18 to 55 said they had experienced sexism. Of the 18 to 55s polled, 63 percent believe that a woman's age is more of an issue in the workplace than a man's。

　　The questionnaire found that 78 percent of respondents said that being attractive helps them to get on better and 60 percent think that overweight women are discriminated against。

　　Many women (60 percent) think men are better at getting pay rises and over half (58 percent) believe they are losing out on promotions to their male colleagues。

　　Psychologist Ros Taylor said that the UK should follow in the footsteps of Norway by introducing a quota system which insists that a percentage of staff in senior positions and on boards are female。

　　However, more than half (53 percent) of those polled do not believe positive discrimination is the best way 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 most women wanted and to work for a female boss not a man (58 percent)。

　　Two thirds of women (66 percent) believe mentoring is an essential business practice, yet most (72 percent) said no such scheme existed in their work place and the same numberhave never been mentored。

　　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 and demonstrates the important role it plays in helping women to fulfill their full potential, launch the businesses and achieve even greater success in their careers."

　　60 percent of those who had been in a mentoring scheme said it had a positive effect on their business。