Tories 'must be woman-friendly', Cameron told

The Tory leader told a debate staged by the Equal Opportunties Commission that his party shared the commission's goal of wanting to "make sexual inequality history". He admitted the Tories had "a credibility problem", adding: "We haven't said enough about this subject in the past."

Mr Cameron promised to draw up family-friendly policies to help parents juggle work and family, including flexible working, support for carers, pensions and child care. He said he would also do what was necessary to boost the number of female Tory MPs, who currently number only 17 out of 196.

He urged companies to tell workers what their colleagues earnt so that the gender pay gap could be closed, saying that "transparency should be the norm, not the exception".

Jenny Watson, the commission's chairman, questioned whether the Tories could ever be "the party of the family" again. She told Mr Cameron: "The Conservative Party you inherited faces a significant credibility gap. This requires urgent attention if you want to reclaim the votes - particularly women's votes - that could return you to government."

She cited an ICM poll showing that voters saw Labour as having the best policies to help people balance work and family life. The Tories came third.