A woman who was refused permission to leave work at 5pm so she could pick up her daughter from nursery has won £185,000 at an employment tribunal.

Estate agent Alice Thompson requested a change to her working hours - including finishing at 5pm instead of 6pm - when she returned to work after having a baby in 2018.

Alice's company refused to consider the requests, which also included working four days a week instead of five, and a tribunal decided that was indirect sex discrimination, reports the BBC.

Alice was working for an independent estate agent in London when she became pregnant in 2018.

She told BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour: "I'd put my heart and soul into an estate agency career for more than a decade.

"That's no mean feat, it's quite a male-dominated environment to work in. And I'd worked really hard to build relationships with clients."

On returning to work she requested a four-day working week and a 5pm finish time so she could get to nursery and pick up her daughter - but her manager said she could not work part-time.

Alice said: "I proposed what would have worked for me. If that didn't work for the company, I would have been more than happy to hear a counter offer, what might work for them.

"If they needed me for the full hours, maybe eight 'til five instead of nine 'til six, that's something I could have worked around.

"But it was shut down, every avenue, not listened to, not considered. And I was left with no other option but to resign.

"How are mums meant to have careers and families? It's 2021 not 1971."

The tribunal ruled the failure to consider flexible working put Ms Thompson at a disadvantage.

She was awarded almost £185,000 for loss of earnings, loss of pension contributions, injury to feelings and interest.

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