Women in finance and accounting are still getting a raw deal. These are the findings of the annual salary and benefits survey conducted by financial recruiter Robert Half.

The survey revealed that a female finance professional receives an average of £11,000 or 22% less than her male counterparts.

This disparity gets worse as women reach the higher ranks. A female partner at an accountancy firm earns around £16,300 less than a man, while a female financial director earns £7,700 less than a man in the same role.

The survey follows comments last week from trade and industry secretary Patricia Hewitt, who said the economy was being damaged by ‘career sexism’ preventing women from succeeding in certain male-dominated professions.