Forbes unveils pay of top female chief executives

The latest list of the highest-paid women in the US from Forbes indicates an ongoing disparity between female chief executives and their male counterparts.

Although the remuneration package of Kraft Foods chief Irene Rosenfeld - the top woman on the list - was shown to be on a par with her male peers, other female executives did not enjoy such equality.

As an example, the publication showed that PepsiCo boss Indra Nooyi currently receives an annual package worth half as much as McDonald's chief James Skinner.

However, Pearl Meyer of compensation firm Steven Hall & Partners said the gulf in pay is partly down to the preference of female directors for straightforward remuneration packages.

"Women are more being paid on their current business performance, in salary and bonus, and yielding on long-term wealth accumulation opportunities," she explained.

Forbes noted that women still account for just three per cent of the chief executives at the 500 largest companies in the US.

According to statistics cited by AFP last month, the average pay gap between male and female workers in the European Union is 18 per cent.