For a long time, sexism in the workplace was seen as something that women simply had to put up with. Leering, sneering, groping, credit-stealing, side-lining and undermining were framed as the price of entry into a male-dominated world. If you rejected these terms, you risked being ostracised as a troublemaker – or dismissed as too sensitive to succeed.

These days, only the most stupid of men would publicly admit to thinking that sexism is OK in a professional setting. But that doesn’t mean that women don’t have to deal with misogyny and gender stereotypes in the workplace. Often, it just means that these things have become more subtle: sexism by stealth, if you will. Last year, a study found that almost a quarter of women in England and Wales aged between 16 and 30 had experienced sexual harassment at work, with 31% reporting gender discrimination while job-hunting and over 40% of mothers saying they had experienced maternity discrimination.

And these issues don’t just damage women’s ability to succeed professionally. Sexism in the workplace can also have a significant effect on women’s mental health. According to a new study published in the Journal of Applied Social Psychology, women who experience institutional sexism and interpersonal sexism at work are more likely to feel like they don’t “belong” in their industry – a feeling that is associated in turn with poorer mental health.

Workplace sexism isn’t just offensive – it actually harms our mental health