U.S. - Not Really A Leader in Promoting Women Execs

Sylvia Hewlett recently wrote at Bloomberg.com about European companies who are placing an emphasis on attracting and retaining talented women as a key priority in the current economic environment.

It isn't the gist of the article that caught my attention however, but this sentence that starts the second paragraph: "There's no doubt that American organizations continue to value female talent — and remain in the lead when it comes to promoting women into senior roles."

The problem? The U.S. does not lead the world in promoting women into senior roles. That distinction goes to the Philippines according to the most recent survey by Grant-Thorton. The information comes from their 2009 International Business Report, which is an annual survey of the views of senior executives in privately held businesses all over the world. The top three countries according to the survey were:

• Philippines - 47% of senior management positions are held by women,
• Russia - 42%
• Thailand - 38%

Where's the U.S? It ranked 28th among the 36 countries included in the report, with women holding an estimated 20% of senior management positions in the private sector.