A push to get more women into senior positions in the civil service is to be made in Government action plans to be published next week.
The plans, prepared by Government departments as part of the benchmarking process, call for 25 per cent of principal officer posts to be filled by women by the end of 2005.
A target of 35 per cent has been set for the proportion of jobs at assistant principal level to be occupied by women within the same timescale.
The targets are part of an ongoing drive to improve the gender imbalance at the top levels in the civil service, which has been described as "a disgrace" by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.
At present, only about 20 per cent of principal officers and 30 per cent of assistant principals are women, despite the fact that 70 per cent of civil servants are female.
In contrast to the male dominance of the higher grades, about 80 per cent of clerical officers - the lowest-ranking clerical grade - are women.
In attempting the increase the number of women at management level, however, Departments will not be allowed to apply any form of "positive discrimination".
Instead, the focus will be on attempting to make it more feasible for women to apply for senior positions, through initiatives such as family-friendly work measures.
Mr Seán Ó Riordáin, general secretary of the Association of Higher Civil and Public Servants, said there was a "long hours culture" in the civil service, particularly for people interested in promotion.
People who were ambitious were forced to make choices between work and domestic responsibilities and, while this affected both sexes, it had a disproportionate impact on women, he said.
"The only way to ensure that people can compete on an equal basis is through the application of family-friendly work practices," he said.
The action plans containing the gender balance targets are the latest step in the benchmarking pay process, under which public servants are to receive average increases of 8.9 per cent.
A quarter of the pay rise has already been paid, backdated to December 2001, and the next 50 per cent instalment is due in January. Before the money is paid, however, performance verification groups will be required to confirm that the action plans are being delivered on schedule.
Targets to be met before the end of this year include the introduction of open recruitment to an increased number of civil service positions.
This will apply in the first instance to specialist and professional jobs, which are sometimes carried out by consultants because the skills required are considered not to be available within Departments.
Open recruitment to higher-level posts which are currently closed to non-civil servants is also to be introduced at a later date.
The plans require that union branches be informed of the new arrangements before the end of this year.