In a survey of 6,000 senior UK managers, ISR found that many women in senior management roles not only feel inadequately involved in decision-making processes but also ‘don’t have confidence in the decisions made by their colleagues’ and aren’t encouraged to speak their mind.

A staggering 31 per cent of senior female managers said they do not think their company is well managed overall. Just 15 per cent of male senior managers hold a similar view.

‘These results are embarrassing for British businesses,’ reasons ISR project director Nick Tatchell. ‘They reveal the extent to which female senior managers are excluded from organisational life. Unless businesses change their attitudes to women at the top, boards will continue to be dominated by men and organisations will continue to under-utilise a huge pool of talent.