????全世界的企業(yè)都需要進(jìn)一步對女性敞開大門。美國企業(yè)本應(yīng)在這方面發(fā)揮帶頭作用。但它們并沒有做到這一點(diǎn)。美國在這方面不僅落后于不斷改進(jìn)的斯堪的納維亞半島，也走在新興市場后面。在經(jīng)濟(jì)剛剛成形的國家，女性在企業(yè)管理層所占的比重也要高于美國。

????和一些新興市場國家相比，美國不僅女性董事長偏少，在其他管理職位上也存在差距。格蘭特桑頓會計(jì)師事務(wù)所（Grant Thornton）今年公布的一份報(bào)告顯示，在美國企業(yè)高級管理者中，女性只占20%。七國集團(tuán)（G7）其他成員的表現(xiàn)也不算好——日本和英國的女性公司領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者比重分別為7%和19%。

????哪個國家女性企業(yè)領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者所占的比重最高呢？中國。在中國，一半以上的公司管理者都是女性。排名前十的國家還包括愛沙尼亞（40%）、越南（33%）和博茨瓦納（32%）。

????格蘭特桑頓會計(jì)師事務(wù)所合伙人艾麗卡?奧馬利說：“這些國家取得這么大的進(jìn)步讓我感到意外。”

????它們是怎樣取得這樣的進(jìn)步呢？

????首先，表面上看似保守的國家文化實(shí)際上更加復(fù)雜。2012年，多倫多大學(xué)（University of Toronto）兩位副教授杰弗里?萊昂納爾德利和蘇敏竇發(fā)表了一篇論文，題為《文化對女性成為領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者的制約》（Cultural constraints on the emergence of women as leaders）。文中探討了文化成見對女性發(fā)揮領(lǐng)導(dǎo)作用的影響。他們指出，所謂的“緊繃型”文化會對偏離常態(tài)的成員進(jìn)行懲罰。總的來說，文化彈性較低的國家都不支持女性成為領(lǐng)導(dǎo)者。

????但也有例外。具體來說，在執(zhí)政領(lǐng)域?qū)π詣e比例有傳統(tǒng)規(guī)范或者自上而下地規(guī)定企業(yè)中男女比例需達(dá)到均衡的國家在這方面往往更勝一籌。比如，2011年馬來西亞政府通過法令，要求馬來西亞公司在五年內(nèi)使女性董事所占的比例達(dá)到三分之一。未能達(dá)到要求的公司將面臨嚴(yán)厲懲罰：它們有可能被勒令退市。

????但美國與眾不同。美國企業(yè)并沒有積極響應(yīng)政府改變現(xiàn)狀的指令，反而還在19世紀(jì)末和20世紀(jì)初對現(xiàn)狀加以鞏固。美國的第二次工業(yè)革命由鋼鐵、煤炭和石油推動，而設(shè)計(jì)者則都是男性。

????此后，時移世易。但文化規(guī)范一旦形成，它在很長一段時間里都將難以打破。如果掌權(quán)者傾向于讓那些在他們覺得支持自己的人圍繞在自己身邊，在這種情況下就更難打破。

????Businesses across the world need to become more welcoming to women. Arguably, United States-based companies should be leading this charge. They aren't.

????U.S. companies are lagging behind not just progressive Scandinavians but also businesses in emerging markets. Companies in countries just now shaping their economies have higher percentages of women business leaders than in the U.S.

????Not only does the U.S. lag behind several emerging market countries in terms of female leadership on company boards, but the gap extends to other executive roles. According to a 2013 report by Grant Thornton, only 20% of senior corporate leaders in the U.S. are women. Other G7 countries didn't fare so well either -- take Japan (7%) and the United Kingdom (19%).

????The country with the most women in high places? China. Over half of corporate leaders in China are women. Estonia (40%), Vietnam (33%), and Botswana (32%) rank in the top 10.

????"I'm surprised that they're making as much progress as they are," says Erica O'Malley, a partner at Grant Thornton.

????How are these nations making such progress?

????First off, national cultures that may appear conservative on the surface are in fact more complex. In a 2012 paper called "Cultural constraints on the emergence of women as leaders," authors Geoffrey Leonardelli and Soo Min Toh, both associate professors at the University of Toronto, explore the effects of cultural rigidity related to female leadership. So-called '"tight" cultures punish members of the group from deviating from cultural norms. In general, culturally inflexible countries do not support women leaders.

????But there are exceptions to this tendency. Namely, when countries with traditional gender norms implement government mandates or top-down rules about gender equity in business, they tend to take hold. For example, in 2011, Malaysia's cabinet approved a law mandating that companies based in the country include one-third female representation on corporate boards within the next five years. The punishment for failure is harsh: Companies that don't make the cut risk being delisted.

????But this is America. U.S. companies don't respond well to government mandates to change the status quo. And that status was solidified in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. America's second industrial revolution was fueled by steel, coal, and oil and designed by men.

????The world has since changed, but cultural norms stick around long after they're relevant, especially given the tendency of people in power to surround themselves with people who think like them.