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More than half of women claim to have experienced bullying or harassment at work according to a new study of discrimination in the workplace. Of the 25,000 who were polled, 52 per cent of women said they had been subjected to at least one form of discrimination. A quarter said they had been overloaded with work or unfairly criticised, while a fifth claimed to have been excluded or victimised because they were women. Just over one in ten said they had been subjected to sexual harassment. Experts said the findings reflect the true scale of sexism in the workplace which they believe has worsened as a result of struggling economies. Laura Bates, founder of the Everyday Sexism Project said about a fifth of complaints posted on its website were from women who had experienced discrimination in the workplace. She told the Sunday Times: 'They range from minor incidents such as sexist jokes to pregnancy discrimination and women being passed over for jobs or promotion because they are considered a baby risk regardless as to whether or not they plan to have children.' 'Other complaints involve sexual harassment and... even sexual assault.' According to Opportunity Now, 81 per cent of women feel having children will affect their career progression, with 69 per cent admitting they feel society expects women to put family before work. A forthcoming survey of more than 500 male employees found 40 per cent of men felt they had been victims of verbal or physical sexual harassment. An identical survey last year found 60 per cent of women had suffered such treatment.