Performance reviews that feature rigorous, detailed criteria and that are regularly scheduled, taken seriously, and conspicuously tied to compensation and advancement are a critically important factor for easing gender bias.

FORBES: Wal-Mart Discrimination Case Grapples with Implicit Biases against Women

Managers should take note that "a raft of research published over the last decade has shown that gender diversity and the right balance of talent can be a contributing factor to business performance, so there is a strong business case to ensure that we nurture female talent from the very start of their careers", said Ms Jackson.

BBC: Graduate pay gap - women paid thousands less than men

Differences in gender, body mass index or whether a person was living alone did not affect the risk factor, they said.

BBC: Fridges 'can indicate illness risk'