In comparison, just 38 percent of men believe this to be true, according to the IL&M's report, 'Ambition and Gender at Work'. The institute surveyed around 3,000 managers.

Moreover, thirty-six percent of women felt that their gender has hindered their career progression, a feeling that grows stronger with age. Nearly half (44 percent) of women over 45 felt there were still barriers for women aiming for senior management and board-level appointments.

This is an issue that the government hopes to address with the launch of former trade minister Lord Davies' report on Thursday, which is expected to set a timeframe for UK companies to increase the number of women on their boards.

According to Cranfield University's School of Management, only 12 percent of FTSE 100 directors are women, falling further to 7.8 percent in the FTSE 250. Meanwhile, a recent report from sector skills body e-skills UK found that women make up just 18 percent of the professional workforce in the IT and telecoms industry.

Statutory quotas for women on boards have been ruled out by Davies, but the report is expected to ask companies in the FTSE 350 to increase the proportion of women on their boards on average to 20 percent within two years, up to 25 percent by 2015. If progress is not made, Davies will warn that quotas could return to the agenda. .