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Men dominate top independent television production posts in the United Kingdom, though high-flying women are helping other females climb the career ladder, a new report reveals.

Helen Baehr, at the University of Westminster's centre for communication and information studies, argues for a European commitment to equal opportunities.

Dr Baehr's study of independent TV producers in the UK and the Netherlands showed that women occupy less than a third of the top five positions in companies where most of the directors are men.

Of the 186 company directors and managing directors employed in the sample companies, only 35 per cent were female. But the survey shows that in companies where most of the directors are women more than 60 per cent of the top five jobs are held by women, indicating that they enjoy a more pro-female corporate culture.

Dr Baehr said: "Neither the regulatory body of the Independent Television Commission, nor the broadcaster, nor the independent producer has any obligation towards promoting equal opportunities."

Her Report on the Position of Women in the Independent Television Production sectors of Two European Members States: the UK and the Netherlands suggests the promotion of equal opportunities.