A draft resolution approved by the European Parliament Women's Rights Committee suggests there should be quotas for the proportion of top jobs within organizations that are filled by women.

It asserts that by 2015, the goal should be to have 30 per cent of these roles occupied by female workers.

This proportion should be increased to 40 per cent in the following five years, it adds.

MEPs have called on the European Commission to "propose legislation including quotas by 2012 for increasing female representation in corporate management bodies of enterprises".

A resolution drafted by Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou of the European People's Party suggested that it will take up to 50 years before boardrooms comprise at least 40 per cent from each gender.

This comes after a draft report published by the same committee earlier this month called on the Commission to encourage older women to remain in or return to work.

Posted by Alex Donnell