Recruiters have a big role to play in getting women boardroom positions, according to industry leaders.

As the Equal Opportunities Commission released a report showing that women make up just 10% of directors of FTSE 100 companies, recruiters told Recruiter that more could be done to attract women to top-level posts.

Peter Felix, president of the Association of Executive Search Consultants, based in New York, said the attitude towards women in the boardroom in Europe is somewhat "backward" compared with the US.

"In Europe, the idea of an 'all-male club' has become so entrenched it's become difficult to get away from it.

"In the States, they are far more ahead of the game. The desire for flexibility has always been there, and that hasn't always been the case in Europe.

"I'm sure there is considerable work to be done as women are going up through the ranks of a company to help them look more favourably upon getting to the top."

Felix argues that a more flexible approach may be needed when considering women for a high-level role, as they try to balance their work commitments with an often hectic home life.

"There is a big opportunity for search consultants, in particular, to play a big role in the recruitment of women to top-level positions."

Even in financial services, where women are highly valued, females in senior positions remain a "relative rarity", according to Keith Robinson, managing director of Origin HR, a London-based recruitment outsourcing firm.

"Progress has been made over the past five years in terms of attracting more women to the industry and indeed, when they do apply, they tend to be very successful. The idea of a 'glass ceiling' appears to be a stronger perception than a reality."

The lack of women at the top level of companies is a reflection of a general trend, as research from Joslin Rowe shows that just 43% of financial services candidates are female.

One area where women have traditionally been relatively well represented is HR.

Jo Davies, senior HR manager at finance, HR and IT recruiter FSS, said that now HR jobs were recognised as a skilled profession by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), rather than a back-office function, meant that women could see HR a career option with high-level potential.

Davies also told Recruiter that the idea that women take more natural career breaks, for reasons such as maternity leave, was no longer necessarily true.

"There's more family-friendly Government policy, such as the Working Families Act, which has meant that women can come back to work more easily."

She cited the example of Tracy Durrant, managing director of FSS's sister company Crone Corkill, who holds a senior position despite taking time out to have two children.

However, Davies also believes that women who want to reach the top will do so for the same reasons as men: desire and "wanting to be there".

Davies, who told Recruiter she aspires to a board-level position, said that proper career development is key to women reaching the top level.

"If a company develops you well and looks after you, then it's possible to grow into a really high-level position."