Women Rising in Corporate Ranks

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Professor Alimo-Metcalfe said the survey suggested women were more "transformational" leaders while men were more "transactional".

However, the male chief executives who took part did not believe women had a different management style from their own - perhaps explaining why most chiefs are men.

Professor Alimo-Metcalfe said: "Unfortunately we do not usually ask subordinates who would make the best manager when we promote people. The people who make the decisions are senior people. If they are men who do not value transformational styles of leadership, then they are more likely to promote one of their own."

In Scotland, a number of dynamic women are making their mark. Recent years have seen Eilish Angiolini appointed solicitor general to spearhead reform of the nation's prosecution service, Joan Stringer made Scotland's first university principal, and a number of female entre-preneurs driving prosperous firms.

Ann Rushforth, who set up nursing agency Scotnursing, said the results of the survey reflected her own experience.

She felt that while women managers may make the same decisions as men, they could be better at explaining to staff why they have chosen a particular path, therefore leaving a better impression.

Once a staff nurse herself, she said: "The skills women have in more abundance are people skills and communicating and being able to do a lot of things at one time."