Discrimination is not a major cause of differences in pay between genders, according to a new study.

Research released by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) has shown that men tend to work more hours and do overtime more than their female counterparts, with twice as many male managers working over 48 hours a week than women.

For those men and women aged between 22 and 29, the median full-time pay gap is now below one per cent and males have a bigger chance of losing their jobs than females.

Professor Philip Booth, IEA's editorial director, stated: "It seems to be individual choices and not systematic discrimination that determine pay and conditions."

He added that the Equal Pay Act should be looked into as a valuable piece of legislation as it can harm the people it is designed to help.

The IEA was established in 1955 and is the "UK's original free-market think-tank".