Harriet Harman the British Equality Minister wants businesses to be ordered to disclose what they are doing to improve gender equality in the ranks of senior management.
Miss Harman said on Monday, the 99th anniverstary of International Women%u2019s Day: "Too many British boardrooms are still no-go areas for women. Women are important consumers and employees. We%u2019ll never get a proper meritocracy or truly family-friendly workplaces from male dominated boards.
%u201CBusinesses that run on the basis of an old boy network and do not draw on the talents of all the population will not be the ones that flourish and prosper in the 21st century.%u201D
Her move, which is backed by Gordon Brown, comes on top of provisions in the controversial Equality Bill that allow employers to give jobs to women in favour of men with the same qualifications.
However, it is likely to be resisted by business leaders who resent more Government interference in their recruitment practices, and who argue that women are under-represented among executives because they value their families more than their careers.
