More needs to be done to ensure the gender pay divide, including that present in HR jobs, is closed.
That is according to the Women's Resource Centre (WRC), which states that greater efforts need to be made to ensure that men and women are paid relative to ability rather than their sex.
It suggests that regardless of gender, both sexes should be on an equal footing regarding wages.
A spokeswoman for the WRC said that it was not even simply a case of what is morally right, but what was right for the health and productivity of businesses at large.
She said: "Women and girls today should not have to face an uphill slog just to earn the same amount of pay as their male colleagues.
"Evidence has consistently shown that where women are paid equally and treated equally at work, companies perform better and workplaces are more family friendly."
However, research by the Chartered Management Institute and XpertHR revealed that companies based in the UK are still more than 50 years away from paying men and women equally.
The research reveals that despite the fact that female salaries have increased more than men's over the last year, women still face a 57 year wait before their take-home pay is equal to that of their male colleagues.
While the National Management Salary Survey for this year shows that female salaries increased by 2.8 per cent over the last 12 months, compared to 2.3 per cent for men, the average UK salary for a male manager is currently £10,071 higher that of a female manager.
A near 60-year wait before equality is achieved is simply not fair, suggests the WRC spokeswoman, who believes that such unjust wage differences are making it even more difficult for women to cope with the fallout of the recession.
She said: "The fact that it could take 57 years, according to this latest research, to close the gender pay gap, is simply unacceptable.
"Women are already suffering adversely from the effects of the current economic climate, from job losses to benefit cuts without the additional burden of unfair salaries."
The government was afforded praise for its efforts in countering the "pernicious effects of unequal pay", with the spokeswoman revealing that the WRC welcomed such moves.
All in all however, it was suggested that a more "concerted" effort was needed if the wage gap was to be addressed on a more acceptable timescale, rather than women having to wait more than half a century for pay equality.
Although this year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1970 Equal Pay Act, data collected from 43,312 individuals in 197 organisations, reveals that male pay outstrips female pay by up to 24 per cent at senior level.
Furthermore, male staff members at the lower levels of business also earn more than their female colleagues, with the pay gap standing at £1,065.
