Why are male managers receiving more than twice as much as their female peers when bonus season rolls around?
Women in the workforce are receiving less than half the amount of bonus than that of their male colleagues.
According to the study by the Charted Management Institute, male managers in the UK received an average yearly bonus of US$10,085 last year compared with US$4,742 for women.
The CMI added that men's salaries were already almost 25% higher than women's.
The study of 43,000 managers showed that men would earn US$220,693 more in bonuses over a lifetime.
Furthermore, the pay gap for both basic and bonuses also increases at more senior levels.
“Despite genuine efforts to get more women onto boards, it's disappointing to find that not only has progress stalled, but women are also losing ground at senior levels,” said Ann Francke, chief executive of the CMI.
“Women are the majority of the workforce at entry level but still lose out on top positions and top pay.
The time has come to tackle this situation more systemically," she added.
Francke also said that businesses would lose out in terms of growth, employee engagement and more ethical management cultures.
"There is no good reason for men to still be earning more in bonuses than women when they are in very similar jobs,” said Mark Crail from salary specialist firm, XpertHR.
While women are generally getting lower bonuses than men, especially at senior levels, he added,
they may be entering occupations where there is less of a culture of bonus payments.
"The question for employers is why that's the case," said Crail.