Informal networks at work are fostering inequality and preventing women from advancing their careers and breaking through the glass ceiling, according to new research. The research found that women do not get the same assistance as men from informal connections in the workplace.

The results were from a survey of 1,100 employees. Men still occupied higher positions and the people in top jobs, regardless of whether they were men or women, were more likely to help men rather than women further their careers through informal networks.

Researchers said this shows that when women make it to the top, they adopt the dominant framework and ideas of their male counterparts. This is how sexism in this decade is manifesting itself, the researchers said. It is not through really overt negativity, but much more subtle and because it is part of these informal practices which are not touched by laws, it is very, very difficult to change, they added.

They warned that organisations need to be aware of the impact of informal networks in the workplace. The nature of inequality has changed. We need to start understanding how these informal networks and structures work and we need to start making employers aware of their implications and consequences for women, they concluded.