An inquiry into sexism faced by women in financial services in the City of London has been launched by members of the UK’s Parliament. The Treasury 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 issue has recently come to the fore with accusations of sexual misconduct against women at Odey Asset Management by its founder Crispin Odey – the Treasury Committee has questioned the oversight the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) had of this. Committee members 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. Harriett Baldwin MP, Chair of the Treasury Committee, said: “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 regulators should play in role modelling behaviours.”
