商界高管圈为什么让女人走开

    随便浏览过去一年的新闻，都可以看到女性正在取得长足进步：女性受教育程度不断提高；有些女性成为了IBM、雅虎（Yahoo）等知名公司的CEO；一项广为传播的研究显示女性作为家庭主要收入来源的人数已超过了男性。但是，在美国大公司中，女性担任最高职务或近最高职务的比例近年来依然持平。

    这是非盈利研究组织Catalyst对《财富》美国500强公司的两项最新研究得出的结论。从好的方面看，Catalyst首席执行官艾琳•兰指出，2012年如果在参议院听证会和其他备受瞩目的活动中清一色由男性出席，会有“很多人问：‘女性在哪里？’如今的社会越来越多元化，看到这些权力团体清一色由白人男性组成，让人感到不安。”

    可能仍然需要一些时间，这种不安才能转化成实实在在的改变。Catalyst的研究显示，目前女性在公司董事会中的席位比例为16.6%，2004年以来毫无增长。《财富》美国500强公司的女性高管比例就更低了，仅14.3%，连续三年持平。

    为什么会这样？谈到高管职位，Catalyst的第三个项目或许能提供一些思路。这份名为《好想法，执行不善？女性晋升至热门职位的人数减少》（Good Intentions, Imperfect Execution? Women Get Fewer of the Hot Jobs Needed to Advance）的报告是系列报告之一，考察了4,000位高潜力MBA（包括男性和女性）的职业发展，比较了男性与女性的晋升之路。

    副标题很能说明问题。结果往往是男性更容易获得“受人瞩目的任务、关键职责和国际经验”，然后一步步走上CEO、COO等最高职务。要想获得这些热门职位，一个经过时间验证的途径是找到一位有影响力的上层支持者，为晋升铺平道路。

    另一种可能管用的方式是：跳槽到一家不同的公司。“引人瞩目，让别人知道自己的成绩，有助于获得这样的经验，铺平晋升道路，但有些公司的文化不认可女性这么做，”兰说。“人们认为，这‘不像淑女’，或者这样‘太野心勃勃。’因此，要想获得真正的机会，必须找对企业文化。找一个有女性高管的部门或公司，在那里你能获得成功的机会。”

    Even a casual glance at the news over the past twelve months suggests that women are making big strides -- better educated than ever, stepping into high-profile CEO slots at companies like IBM (IBM) and Yahoo (YHOO), and, according to one much-publicized study, outnumbering men as the primary breadwinners in their households. Even so, in major U.S. companies, the percentage of women at or near the top has flat-lined.

    That's according to two new surveys of Fortune 500 companies by nonprofit research group Catalyst. On the plus side, notes Catalyst chief Ilene Lang, men-only Senate hearings and other highly visible events in 2012 meant that "so many people started asking, 'Where are the women?' In an increasingly diverse society, people are getting less comfortable with seeing these groups of the powerful who are all white males."

    It may take a while for that discomfort to translate into change. For now, Catalyst's research shows, women's share of corporate board seats, at 16.6%, hasn't grown at all since 2004. The percentage of female executive officers at Fortune 500 companies is even smaller -- 14.3% -- and has remained flat for three straight years.

    Why is that? When it comes to senior executive jobs, a third Catalyst project provides some clues. Entitled Good Intentions, Imperfect Execution? Women Get Fewer of the Hot Jobs Needed to Advance, the report is part of a series that examines the careers of 4,000 high-potential MBAs of both sexes and compares men's advancement with the career trajectories of their female counterparts.

    That subtitle is a mouthful. It turns out that men more often get the kind of "high-profile assignments, mission-critical roles, and international experiences" that typically lead to the C-suite and above. One time-tested path to those hot jobs is finding a sponsor, an influential higher-up who paves the way.

    Another approach that may work: Jump to a different company. "Being visible and making your accomplishments known is essential to getting the kinds of experience that can move you up into senior management, but some corporate cultures penalize women for that," Lang observes. "It's seen as 'not ladylike' or 'too pushy.' So, to get the right opportunities, you have to be in the right culture. Find a division, or a company, where there are already some senior women, and where you'll be allowed to flourish."