Women are breaking through the glass ceiling to achieve leadership positions in British business organisations at a younger age than men, but they are still paid less than their male counterparts in similar positions, a survey indicated on Monday.
The Chartered Management Institute's annual survey of over 20,000 managers across the United Kingdom found the average woman team leader is 37, while the average man at the same level of corporate seniority is 41.
But although the women are being promoted faster, their pay is not keeping up with their standing in the company. Female team leaders earn on average £36,712 -- £2,674 less than their male counterparts.
This imbalance continues as they progress to board level. The average woman director is 44, compared with 47 for men. Her average pay is £22,144 less than the going rate for men.
Mike Petrook, spokesman for the institute, said the findings were consistent with evidence that many women are delaying having children until their late 30s.
"Women in management are wanting to make sure that, when they come back to their jobs after a career break, they return at a high level."
"They need to be one step ahead of the game and it is fair to say that many are more driven to succeed at an earlier stage in their career to achieve this objective," he said.
"Talk of the glass ceiling his given way to a skylight effect. Increasing numbers of women are finding there is an opening and they are clambering through to get to the next stage. But many still feel they are blocked by the old boys' network and have to work twice as hard as the men to get around this obstacle."
Women managers have made faster progress towards parity of pay in the public sector, engineering and chemicals than in finance, manufacturing and the food industry.
For the first time, women managers in IT are earning more than their male counterparts, average £45,869 a year -- £779 pounds more than the men.
The highest earnings for women managers were in the food and drink sector, but there the male earnings premium was also the highest. Salaries for women managers in food and drink averaged £53,248 and for men, it was £86,816.
The number of women in management roles has trebled in ten years and this year they make up 31.1 per cent of the nation's 4.5 million managers. They have taken 36.9 per cent of team leader positions and 14.4 per cent of directorships (doubled since 1999).
