One in four women 'has office sex'

Flirting is a popular pastime in the workplace

At least one in four women has had a sexual relationship with a work colleague, according to a new survey.

Twenty eight percent of 5,000 working women polled by Top Sante magazine said they had had sex with a colleague.

Ten percent said they had had a fling with their manager, with 11% of these going on to marry him.

Superwoman role models aren't at all helpful to ordinary working women

Juliette Kellow, Top Sante editor

But only 12% were subsequently promoted, in a sign that the supposed career benefits of sleeping with the boss may have been overstated.

Flirting for health

However, one in five women said they would be prepared to flirt with the boss in order to boost their job prospects.

The survey confirmed that flirting in the workplace is widespread, with three quarters of working women saying they have flirted with colleagues.

A majority of respondents said they believed flirting was good for their health and confidence.

But most said juggling the competing demands of home and the workplace was harming their health.

Work life balance

A majority said they felt stressed out most of the time, expressing fears that their family lives were being driven to "breaking point."

Women who returned to work after childbirth said they found managing their dual roles as worker and mother more difficult than they had expected.

Top Sante editor Juliette Kellow raised concerns over the rise of "do-it-all" female role models who appear to effortlessly balance successful professional careers with fulfilling family lives.

"Superwoman role models aren't at all helpful to ordinary working women who don't have an army of people from nannies, personal secretaries, cleaners and hairdressers to support them," she said.

"It's time for superwoman to be put back in her box."