Abstract

The article explores the attitudes of male managers toward women as senior executives of multinational corporations (MNC) subsidiaries. Women are moving into previously male-dominated roles and occupations. They are pursuing their ambitions across boundaries they have never before crossed. MNCs would be well advised to take note of this development for two reasons. First, there is an increasing shortage of managerial talent for complex organizations. Second, international business requires that management methods be continuously adapted to changing conditions and social values, and geared to taking advantage of opportunities in host environments. In view of the magnitude of problems anticipated by respondents, most of them concluded that only exceptional women could actually succeed in the job. It was not that they had a personal preference for working with outstandingly competent women, but that they believed such competence was necessary to overcome the barriers. Consequently, MNCs commited to greater equality in the top jobs could use the lower upper ranks of the subsidiary hierarchy as a training ground for women, preparing them to become chief executives in the future.