A young woman entering the job market today can expect to work for the equivalent of an average of four years more than her male peers over her lifetime, according to a new study from ActionAid.

The Not Ready, Still Waiting report was presented at the United Nations general assembly today. Looking at the greater role women play in unpaid care work and adding that to their standard employment, and using statistics from Economists Without Borders, it has shown that women are, on average, working an extra month per year for every working year of their lives on average.

In the UK, a woman can expect to do two and a half years more labour than her male peers overall.

ActionAid has also voiced concerns that this burden of unpaid work is limiting women's opportunities when it comes to securing better paid jobs, getting involved in politics, engaging in leisure and resting. It believes countries "have a long way to go" to redress the balance.

As such, the charity has called on governments, particularly those in developing countries most affected, to remedy the inequality by passing equal pay and family-friendly workplace legislation, bringing in minimum living wages and more.

Graph from 'Not Ready, Still Waiting' report