Kana Inagaki, Tokyo: The glass ceiling remains low for Japanese women, with relatively few in leadership roles such as management or politics compared with other advanced countries, a government report said Tuesday.

Only about 10 percent of female workers held managerial positions in Japan, compared to about 43 percent in the United States and about 37 percent in Germany and Australia, according to latest figures compiled by the International Labor Organization.

The figures were cited in an annual report on gender equality complied by Japan's Cabinet Office.

Japan ranked 11th out of the 12 countries surveyed, lagging far behind countries in the West and other Asian nations such as Singapore, the Philippines and Malaysia.

Japan also ranked near the bottom for its proportion of female lawmakers, with only 9.4 percent in 2006, as compared to 16.2 percent in the U.S. and 47.3 percent in Sweden.

Despite recent changes in attitudes and working styles of the young, the conventional idea that husbands should work while wives stay home to raise their children persists more strongly in Japan compared to other countries, a report on gender equality said.

''It is necessary to create an environment where both men and women can participate by balancing their career and family life,'' the report said.

Many working mothers often give up their career or take on part-time jobs after giving birth due to limited public daycare, long working hours and lack of support from their husbands and companies. Others who want to pursue careers remain single or without children.

In 2006, about 52 percent of female workers held part-time or contract jobs, compared to about 18 percent among male workers, the report said.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has called for a better working environment for women, especially for working mothers, adopting plans to improve child care and encouraging companies to provide more support to working couples.

Japan's birthrate in 2006 improved slightly to 1.32 babies per woman after hitting a record low of 1.25 in 2005.