Women in high-flying jobs earn almost half a million pounds less in their lives than men with identical careers, a damning report reveals today.
They are also less likely to get a bonus and more likely to be made redundant.
If they do receive a bonus, it is typically half the amount paid to a man doing exactly the same job.
Experts yesterday insisted the gulf in earnings was impossible to justify and described the gender pay gap as ‘disturbing’.
The research from the Chartered Management Institute is based on the experiences of nearly 39,000 British executives.
It said that although the number of women working in senior positions at FTSE 100 companies is rising, it remains low, at 17.3 per cent.
Separate studies have shown that businesses in the UK are ‘spectacularly unsuccessful’ at promoting high-flying women.
The latest research takes the example of a man and a woman who start at the bottom of the executive career ladder at the age of 25, win equal promotions and retire at 60.
