IT contractors need to see a faster progression to equal pay, a leading organisation has asserted.

Tatjana Hine, vice president of the World Association of Women Entrepreneurs, claims that the recent narrowing of the gender pay gap has been down to IT contractors and other professionals fighting against these trends.

Despite this, she said that women are still lagging behind men and the overall wealth gap has also increased.

While she acknowledged that many women want to work differently than their male counterparts, she stated that progress needs to be made more rapid.

Ms Hine asserted: "Women work differently to men - they don't necessarily wish to do quite so many hours. If there were as many women wishing to go into the City, the pay gap would be smaller due to higher wages."

Recent figures published by the Office for National Statistics showed that the gender pay gap as measured by median hourly pay excluding overtime is currently at 12.2 per cent.