Asian Women in Management

Abstract

While women's labor force participation rates in the Asian economies are ranked among the world's highest, women's presence in the managerial ranks is less impressive, and their near absence from executive positions renders them almost invisible. Yet many predict that the number of Asian women managers and executives will rise markedly over the coming decade. The education level of Asian women has improved dramatically and, in some countries, now exceeds that of many Asian men, thus positioning women well for the professional and managerial jobs of the 1990s. In addition, the dynamic entrepreneurialism of the region can be expected to continue to provide women with managerial opportunities, which often remain denied to women in other sectors. Also, the continued presence of many family-owned firms bodes well for the small but growing number of women executives. Analysis is presented of the trends in managerial opportunities for Asian women from the perspective of companies and from that of Asian women.