According to Friends Provident, attitudes towards work continue to be a barrier, with men still considered the typical breadwinners in households.
In its Visions of Britain 2020 report, the company notes that the different attitudes of men and women towards employment are likely to fuel this inequality in the workplace.
Indeed, the study found that 24 per cent of females consider salary to be the most important factor at work, compared to 37 per cent of males.
Furthermore, 23 per cent of women would rather work less and be paid less, in comparison to just 17 per cent of men, 20 per cent of ladies would except a salary cut in return for more holiday benefits, against ten per cent of their male counterparts who also felt this way.
Meanwhile, when it came to the attitudes of Britons, 37 per cent of respondents felt women should be prepared to cut down on their workload in order to care for their family, while one in eight people thought men should have more of a right to jobs when employment prospects are scarce.
Gillian Fox, HR director for Friends Provident, said: "With a growing number of women keen to work fewer hours, companies will have to consider how this impacts their productivity."
Elsewhere, Karen Gill MBE, co-founder of everywoman, recently claimed suggestions the gender pay gap is closing are "negligible".
Posted by Colette Paxton
