Employers will be able to reject male job applicants in favour of women under new laws to promote equality at work.
Companies will be able to take "positive action" to choose a more balanced mix of staff, giving jobs to candidates from under-represented groups, including ethnic minorities, homosexuals and people with disabilities.
Lynne Featherstone, the Liberal Democrat equalities minister, said companies that failed to promote a fairer deal for women could be named and shamed. She said sexism was present in too many workplaces.
Leading companies must promote more women to board level. They could be forced to disclose how much they pay female staff if they refused to do so voluntarily, she said.
