BRITISH public life remained "locked in the past", with most top jobs in business, the judiciary and the police still filled by men, a damning new report shows today.

The Equal Opportunities Commission said women's career chances were still being "blighted" and held back by a glass ceiling, almost 30 years after the Sex Discrimination Act became law.

There had been tiny increases of about 1% in the past year in the number of women in senior jobs in the police, business and judiciary, but the overall impression was one of little progress.

In the report, Sex and Power: Who Runs Britain?, the Government is urged to draw up a family strategy to replace the "piecemeal" approach to family support and childcare. .

Jenny Watson, deputy chairwoman of the EOC said:

"We can no longer assume that it's only a matter of time before more women make it to the top.

"Without addressing women's responsibilities at home as well as at work, we'll continue to lose out on women's talent."