Leaders of major companies such as Woodside, Fortescue, Lendlease and Wesfarmers say women taking more family responsibilities makes the dominance of men in the economy’s highest-paid roles difficult to shift.

But leading female directors including Carol Schwartz and Diane Smith-Gander reject the notion that this is a “choice” made by women, saying they are often acting rationally within a family unit where men have higher pay and greater prospects for promotions.