Female junior executives are earning as much as their male peers, according to figures from the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

The survey, by XpertHR on behalf of CMI, reveals female junior executives now earn an average salary of £21,969, marginally more (£602) than male executives at the same level, whose average salary is £21,367.

According to the 2011 National Management Salary Survey, men continue to be paid more on average than women doing the same jobs (£42,441 compared with £31,895), revealing a gender pay gap of £10,546.

CMI’s director of policy and research, Petra Wilton, says: “We need the government to scrutinise organisational pay, demand more transparency from companies on pay bandings and publicly expose organisations found guilty of fuelling the gender pay gap. They and employers must ensure that women are nurtured and supported at work, and can access development opportunities to help them on their way to senior management positions. We want to see mentoring and sponsorship programmes in more businesses and industries and more female executives pushing their employers to formalise and publicise equal pay and opportunity policies.”