Parliament’s Treasury Committee called for evidence for a new inquiry launched on Friday to investigate sexism towards women in the financial services sector.

The committee released a statement welcoming evidence from women currently working in or have worked in the financial sector – to identify the progress and impact of Government and Regulator initiatives, such as strategies to remove the gender pay gaps in financial services. The Chair, Harriet Baldwin, proposed that the investigation will determine if more must be done to create a supportive work culture while addressing sexual harassment and misogyny.

This current inquiry came after the Treasury Committee’s 2017 women in finance inquiry, which examined the benefits of having greater gender balance across all sector job grades and encouraging women’s progression, i.e., having a “zero-tolerance policy” for discrimination and harassment. The 2017 inquiry found that firms need to do more to abolish the “male-dominated culture,” publish “doable” strategies to close the gender pay gap, and reduce maternity leave-based discrimination for women wanting to return to work after giving birth. MPs will evaluate the progress of the 2017 inquiry to identify what needs to be changed/implemented for the future generation of women heading towards a career in finance. The call for evidence will be open until September.