Women remain "clustered" in low-paid jobs and are more likely to work part-time, while men tend to work long hours in jobs that pay more, according to an analysis of the Census.

The Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC) said the working lives of men and women were still influenced by gender.

Women make up 84 per cent of employees in personal services, such as care assistants and childminders, 78 per cent of people doing secretarial and administrative work and 71 per cent of sales and customer services staff.

Nine out of ten skilled jobs, such as mechanics, bricklayers and electricians, are taken by men.

More than two out of five women work part-time, compared with ten per cent of men.

EOC chairwoman Julie Mellor said action was needed in schools and by employers to give women the same chances in life as men.

She said: "Employers need to offer staff more flexibility about the hours they work - at all levels of the organisation.

"This will help make sure women aren't held back at work after they've had children and that men are able to play their part at home too.

"It will also help them recruit and retain staff with the skills their organisation needs and so boost productivity."

The Census revealed big differences in the working lives of men and women in different parts of the country.

Women in the City of London were most likely to have a professional job (28 per cent), while Stoke-on-Trent had the highest proportion of women in skilled trades (11 per cent).