Among UK employees, new mothers and pregnant women face the most discrimination, according to new research.

Entitled Sexism and the City and conducted by the Fawcett Society, the report reveals that up to 30,000 women each year in Britain lose their jobs as a result of being pregnant.

Meanwhile employers in London were identified as particularly at fault over the issue of discrimination, with females in the capital earning an average of 23 per cent less than their male counterparts.

"Behind the conspicuous wealth of the city lies a hidden story of disadvantage and discrimination affecting women at every level of business – from the bathroom to the boardroom. For the first time, Fawcett is exposing the links between these experiences. That link is sexism," stated Dr Katherine Rake, director of the Fawcett Society.

With roots tracing back to 1866, the Fawcett Society campaigns for equality between men and women.