Less than one in ten chief executives in Ireland are women, and a "glass ceiling" is holding women back, a new report says.
The IBEC survey of over 6,000 managers and professionals found that women comprise only 8 per cent of chief executives, 21 per cent of senior managers and 30 per cent of middle managers.
Only in junior management positions is the disparity less marked where 45 per cent of employees are female. The only area in which higher proportions are female is in Human Resources/Personnel, the report says.
The report also points to the detrimental effect of the "glass ceiling" on businesses in Ireland.
Speaking at the launch of the IBEC Women in Management Report, director of social policy at IBEC Ms Jackie Harrison said, given the competitive nature of business and the growing investment by businesses in the training and development of their staff, there is mounting recognition the "glass ceiling" is bad for business.
"The need to compete in changing national and international business environments is driving business to address 'glass ceiling' issues because they exclude able and top quality people from leadership positions," said Ms Harrison.