SCOTTISH women are held back by a lack of professional ambition in the workplace rather than the often-cited glass ceiling, a business leader and economic adviser to Alex Salmond has claimed.

Lady Susan Rice, managing director of Lloyds Banking Group Scotland, rejected suggestions that a lack of family-friendly practices is to blame for women's failure to progress.

In a submission to an inquiry by MSPs into the challenges female workers face, the first woman to head a UK clearing bank said many choose to prioritise a better work-life balance over aiming for the top of their professions.

She said: "Contrary to some common assumptions, I believe all women do not share the same aspirations and the same challenges regarding work.

"Family-friendly practices can be helpful, but not always. Enhancing such policies doesn't always benefit women in terms of their aspirations for work. Some women aspire to high levels of success, while others often reach a stage where they decide those goals are not worth the effort.

She added: "We have to respect both approaches, but we must not assume the latter group would have achieved more simply by a change in policy or workplace practice."

Lady Rice also dismissed calls for gender "quotas" in boardrooms, which is law in Norway, saying it "is not the policy of choice for any female non-executive I know".

On the issue of the glass ceiling, she said it "may or may not exist in different companies", adding: "I worry greatly that we spend as much time as we do talking about glass ceilings ... because, as soon as we recognise that a glass ceiling exists, it is a subtle way of reducing ambition."

In December the Equal Opportunities Committee at the Scottish Parliament reported that a glass ceiling still separates women from boardroom jobs, while they also receive unequal pay to men. It subsequently asked experts to come forward with ways to address these issues.

Yesterday, Petra Wetzel, founder of the West brewery in Glasgow, said: "While I agree with a lot of what Lady Rice says, she is clearly from a privileged background and I doubt that she truly faces the same challenges as some other very talented women trying to make their mark in the corporate world.

"You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out that you need to earn a substantial gross salary to merely cover your childcare costs. How many people earn that sort of money in Scotland?"

Sarah-Jane Walls, who runs four businesses, including an IT company and spa, said: "I disagree with the idea of a quota for the number of women in boardrooms. I wouldn't like the idea of being put on a board simply because your sex fits a set ratio.

"That said, I think boards would benefit from having a more equal split, but that should come down to the individual company, not a law."

Ms Walls, a mother of two young children, added: "I was back in work only days after giving birth, but that is a personal choice.

"I couldn't be a full-time mum, it's not in my genes. I don't believe in glass ceilings. If you want something bad enough it shouldn't matter which sex you are.

"It comes down to how ambitious you are."