The number of men and women in senior management roles in the finance sector should be equal, a new survey suggests.

A poll carried out to mark International Women's Day on March 8th for the Government Equalities Office discovered 55 per cent of respondents believe women should have a greater say in decisions made within the banking industry.

The study also reveals 60 per cent of those questioned would like to see more female directors in big businesses and 61 per cent think companies are missing out on talent by not recruiting more women at senior management levels.

In order to attempt to redress the balance in the boardroom, ministers have requested the Financial Reporting Council to include provision in its code of conduct for information regarding attempts to increase numbers of women in senior management roles and finance jobs in UK.

The results of the Government Equalities Office research support the findings of a survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, which found just 23 per cent of women and 44 per cent believe the genders enjoy equal status.