By James Callery
Female accountants are paid around £10,000 a year less than their male counterparts after 10 years in the profession according to specialist accountancy and finance recruiter Marks Sattin.
The recruiter's research showed the salary divide has risen by £2,028 in the past year.
Marks Sattin's survey found that male accountants earn consistently more than women with a gap of £6,433 after two years of qualification.
After 10 years the salary gap widens to an alarming £26,000 with the average male earning £98,526 and the average female taking in £72,462.
Sattin's analysis of the proportion of women in senior positions among the Big Four accounting firms shows that 22% of the European and UK board positions are held by women, an increase of 8% in the last year.
The research also shows that male accountants are more satisfied with their job with 72% reportedly happy compared to the 60 % of their female counterparts.
Female accountants also came out as feeling less secure in their job, 30% compared to the male 28%.
Dave Way, managing director of Marks Sattin said: "While an increase in female accountants reaching board level is hugely encouraging, a situation where men are continually earning more than women all the way up the career ladder is not healthy for accountancy; hopefully a more balanced seniority structure will go some way to correct this trend.
"The UK accountancy sector is internationally respected and an extremely important part of the economy, so it is vital that like for like pay is established if we are to attract the best talent of both genders."