The system is at fault as well as women themselves for not having achieved pay parity with men, according to a number of leading businesswomen.

Ahead of Equal Pay day on 30 October, Jo Cameron, former contestant of BBC’s The Apprentice and co-founder of Women on Their Way, said: “It’s not only the fault of the system but women inherently under-value themselves and accept lower pay. The government needs to press for visibility of pay scales but women would benefit from negotiating better packages at work.”

Secret Millionaire’s Gill Fielding says: “Women have an amazing responsibility not only to themselves and to the society of today but also a massive responsibility for the society of tomorrow - because like it or not women are the worlds educators. We are the mums and sisters and daughters that teach the worthwhile and practical skills to our children, and the future generations. It is a big responsibility but one that women have embraced worldwide for centuries.”

Shilpi Akbar, assistant director of employment at Birmingham City Council, adds: “Birmingham City Council are working hard to mitigate the effects of the recession locally, with a range of measures in place to help those hardest hit. We are supporting the ‘Women on their Way’ initiative as a means of building skills and confidence in local women, helping to ensure we have the skilled workforce available to meet private and public sector needs.”