Working mothers in banking are the most ambitious, men want more work-life balance and the Covid-19 crisis has massively changed attitudes to flexible working, according to a sweeping new project aimed at addressing the lack of women in senior roles in the financial sector.

Around 70% of women with children in the financial sector said they aspire to be in a senior management role, according to a survey of 1,700 people by Women in Banking in Finance backed by banks and other financial services organisations. This was the highest proportion of any group in the survey, which included men and women without children.