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The Institute of Economic Affairs has shown that the so called pay gap between between men and women aged 22 to 39 is “negligible”. It shows that in some cases women in that age group are better off by 0.8 per cent and at worst are worse off by 2.2 per cent. The IEA noted that the gap widens in full time after women spend time off work to have children making them 9.1 per cent worse off. However, women in part time jobs are better paid than men by 5.1 per cent.

GETTY - STOCK Gender pay gap 'fundamentally misleading' and promotes 'victim mentality' – study claims

The Equal Pay Day campaign does nothing to advance women in the workforce Kate Andrews

The study, which involved data from the Office for National Statistics, appears to blow apart the claims made by the feminist Fawcett Society which says the pay gap is 14.1 per cent in favour of men. The report comes as leading women at the BBC have been complaining about their relative pay to male colleagues after the salaries over £150,000 a year were published. The IEA report focussed on the Equal Pay Day campaign aimed at closing the alleged gap in wages and argued it was based on a “myth”. The IEA also pointed out that its study shows that in Northern Ireland women are better paid by 3.4 per cent compared to men.

GETTY The report comes as leading women at the BBC have been complaining about their pay