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One in seven women are made redundant following maternity leave amid growing levels of discrimination in the workplace. A tenth of women also find themselves replaced by their maternity leave cover, while another one in seven believed they were overlooked for a promotion, a new study has found. More than half of those affected by such discrimination said they 'suffered in silence', fearing that speaking out will damage their careers. The survey, carried out by law firm Slater & Gordon, surveyed of 1,000 women carried out. Campaign group Maternity Action suggested the economic downturn has affected levels of discrimination, with the number of new mothers seeking advice over discrimination doubling every year for the last three years. Research conducted in 2005 found that 30,000 women each year lost their job as a result of unlawful pregnancy discrimination. Rosalind Bragg, director of Maternity Action, said: 'We have raised the issue with the Government but we are unable to get any action. 'It's critically important that this issue becomes a government priority to enable women to remain in the work force if that's what they would like to do.'