More women are climbing the corporate ladder as the pay gap between the sexes shrinks, a new report shows.

The number of women executives has doubled since 1990, according to the Institute of Management study.

The survey has been published to coincide with International Women's Day on Sunday.

The research shows more than 15% of all managers are now female, compared with 7.9% in 1990.

The institute's Public Affairs Officer Deborah Allday expects the number of women managers to continue to rise.

Institute of Management Public Affairs Officer Deborah Allday discusses the survey (3'04")

"I think women are increasingly career focused and I also think that everyone is looking more at individual's unique skills and talents and trying to use those skills and talents as fully as possible in the work force," she said.

But the research also shows that the number of women making it to the boardroom is still just 4.5%.

The number of female directors has increased just 1.6% since 1990.

Deborah Allday believes the growth in this area is slow because women are weighed down by other responsibilities.

"The research we have done at the institute shows that women are responsible not only for working but also the domestic chores, the childcare, the cooking, the shopping, the cleaning and everything else.

"So women have a harder time of it ... in terms of balancing their work and homelife," she said.

But Deborah Allday says it is unclear if women are choosing not to take on managerial roles or whether they are being prevented from advancing because of their extra responsibilities.

"Certainly there are women who have quite high career aspirations and those women need to be given the same chance and same potential career paths as men," she said.

The institute's research reveals that women managers and directors have enjoyed bigger wage rises over the last 12 months.

Women managers took home a 7.4% pay increase last year while their male colleagues earned a 6% rise.

And while women directors enjoyed a 9.2% pay rise in the last 12 months, the pay of male directors has increased by 7.8%

Today's average female manager is aged 37 and has a salary of £31,550. Her average male colleague is 44 and earns £35,761.
 

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