Yet as traditional power structures break down in the industrialized world, and individual actions impact more at home and abroad, participants at this weekend's Women's Forum for the Economy and Society in Deauville said that they are starting to reap the benefits.
"I think part of the reason why women can be successful today compared to old society is that in the past the world was quite physical, people needed to defend themselves," Sarena Lin, principal and office Manager of McKinsey and Company Taiwan, said.
"Now there is greater transparency, and the business interaction is no longer dependent on physical contact, it's now virtual contact, putting men and women are on an equal playing field."
"Hierarchical society will soon be out of date," said Mercedes Erra, executive chairman of Euros RSCG Worldwide advertising agency.
On a global level, individuals have been empowered by the Internet revolution, creating a need for multiple skills in order to succeed in flatter structures, an environment in which women's diverse experiences can be useful.
"Women are like young people today, they are a bit avant-garde, very adapted to future ways of living and working," Erra said.
As the number of women in business and politics slowly increases, they bring certain recognized strengths to the working world, including an ability to collaborate, share, and empathize.
"We're well armed," said Anne Lauvergeon, France's top businesswoman as chief executive of Areva nuclear energy company. "We have a very practical approach. We don't have much time in our lives so we know how to prioritize."
Feminine skills are increasingly seen as a vital complement to masculine leadership qualities.
"I do believe women have skill sets we need for leadership because we have to have a more inclusive and diverse workforce," said Laura Liswood, secretary-general of the Council of Women World Leaders.
A study in the United States has even suggested that gender diversity and financial performance are linked in a positive way.
The survey, published by advocacy group Catalyst, showed that on average, companies with the highest percentage of women among their top workers had a return on equity 35.1 percent higher than those with the fewest high-level women.
"Organizations that have a lot of women at the top do better, not just because women make them better, but the organizations are better at evaluating the working environment," said Liswood.
However, despite a growing recognition of the benefits of women taking on top roles, including the economic logic of tapping into an increasingly educated pool of potential managers, cultural habits are deep-rooted and progress is incredibly slow.
"If it doesn't change, women are going to quit and do their own thing," said Margaret Milan, president of the European Professional Women's Network, a web of businesswomen in some 12 countries.
In many cases, they are doing just that - one business out of two in the United States is created by a woman.
Female entrepreneurs have already been part of the Asian economy for years.
"This is something women do extremely well," said Lin. "This will continue to be the fabric of the economy as we change into the developed world."
Meanwhile in Morocco, the Association of Women Business leaders in Morocco, or AFEM, is encouraging the trend in North Africa.
Saoula Karkri-Belkeziz, founder of the group representing some 300 heads of businesses, believes that women do not need to wait for companies to change their attitudes to them but, instead, can use entrepreneurship as a way to advance.
"We live in a very difficult world," she said. "Heads of businesses have many concerns, such as profitability and following environmental norms, we can't ask them to also be concerned with the situation for women.
"New rules of management suit women better," she added. "We don't formalize things too much like men do."
© 2006 Agence France-Presse
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