Top management roles at multinational corporations in Asia are typically held by Westerners. But not just any type of Westerner-regional directors and CEOs are also predominantly men.

亚洲跨国公司的高层管理职位一般都由西方人把持。但也并不是什么西方人都可以――地区主管和首席执行长(CEO)主要是男性。

While overall participation in the workplace and post-secondary degree attainment has become nearly equal for men and women in places like Hong Kong, the picture isn't the same for many multinational corporations in Asia.

在香港等城市，对男性和女性的聘用标准变得几乎一样，都需要对工作进行全面投入，都须具备中学以上学历。但对亚洲的很多跨国公司来说，情况却不尽相同。

There are 'some big challenges' in Asia when it comes to women's efforts to break through the glass ceiling, said Nick Marsh of executive-search firm Harvey NashHVN.LN 0.00%. 'Whereas in the States and Europe there are board development programs, they were not prevalent in Asia.'

高管猎头公司Harvey Nash的马什(Nick Marsh)说，在女性试图打破玻璃天花板方面，亚洲存在一些较大挑战，欧美则有董事会发展项目，这些项目在亚洲并不普遍。

Mr. Marsh believes multinational corporations in the region have a long way to go, but are still far more diverse than locally based companies. 'When I talk to more local companies in Hong Kong and China and ask if diversity is on their agenda, they'll typically say no. Many say they'll just choose the best person.'

马什认为，亚洲的跨国公司还有很长一段路要走，但仍远比本地企业多元化。他说，我跟香港和中国内地很多本地企业聊，问他们公司日程上是否有多元化一项，他们一般都会说没有，也有很多说他们的标准就是聘用最好的人眩

In Hong Kong, just 2% of CEOs are women, according to McKinsey & Company's Women Matter report.

据麦肯锡公司(McKinsey & Company)《女性至关重要》(Women Matter)报告显示，在香港仅有2%的首席执行长是女性。

The leadership trend mirrors the reality across the region more broadly, where women in Asia occupy just 1.1.% of CEO, CFO, country head and related positions, according to a 2012 Catalyst study.

这种领导者构成趋势反映出了亚洲更广泛地区的一个现实。非营利组织Catalyst 2012年进行的研究结果显示，在亚洲的首席执行长、首席财务长和国家领导者等相关职位中，女性占比仅为1.1%。

Asia's talent pool is affected by uneven local markets, which vary greatly in gender representation. In Japan, for instance, the McKinsey report finds women make up just 2% of board members, a situation that may be in part caused by a lack of available childcare.

亚洲人才库也受到了当地市场人才状况不平衡的影响，而这些市场在性别比例方面又相差迥异。麦肯锡的报告发现，女性在日本公司董事会成员中仅占2%，造成这一现象的原因之一可能是日本缺乏儿童保育服务。

'Women in the workforce have challenges that are different from men,' said Sylvia Lee, who heads Oracle Hong Kong. 'This has often resulted in women leaving the workforce midway through their career. We need to recognize that, and provide a good support network for them to encourage and motivate each other.'

甲骨文(Oracle)香港公司负责人Sylvia Lee说，女性在职场中遇到的挑战与男性不同，于是经常导致女性半途离职，我们需要认识到这个问题，为她们提供一个良好的支持网，使其相互鼓励，相互激励。

Women lacking confidence in their leadership ability may also be a driving factor in the gender disparity.

女性对自己的领导力缺乏信心，这也可能是导致高层领导者性别差异的一个因素。

'Women do not put themselves forward at the same rate, and may exclude themselves from opportunities if they don't think they have 100% of the skills required,' said Mr. Marsh, 'whereas men may be more likely to put themselves forward if they think they've got at least 50% of the skills.'

马什说，女性不像男性那么主动争取，机会来临时，如果她们认为自己并不100%掌握职位所需的技能，可能就会主动放弃，而男性觉得如果具备了至少一半的技能，便很可能跃跃欲试。

While Hong Kong's top business leaders may be ahead of other parts of Asia, they are, on average, behind Europe and the U.S., and significantly farther behind parity, consultants say. According to the 30% Club, a group dedicated to increasing women's representation on boards, 40% of Hong Kong-listed issuers don't have female directors on their board, while another 37% list just one female director.

咨询人士说，香港商界领导者中女性比例可能高过亚洲其它地方，但一般落后于欧美，且远落后于平均水平。据致力于增加董事会女性比例的组织30% Club统计，40%的香港上市公司董事会中没有女性成员，37%的公司董事会中只有一名女性董事。

The Hong Kong Stock Exchange looks determined to break that trend. Effective September, it will ask companies to report on board diversity and have an explicit diversity policy. Louisa Wong, founder of Asia executive search firm Bó Lè Associates, believes the move might be helpful, but thinks real change will be driven by employees themselves and women leaders within organizations.

香港交易所(Hong Kong Stock Exchange)似乎决心要打破这一趋势，将从9月起要求上市公司汇报董事会多元化状况，并制定明确的多元化政策。亚洲高管猎头公司伯乐管理有限公司(Bo Le Associates)创始人黄慧仪(Louisa Wong)认为，此举或许会有所帮助，但真正的改变将来自员工自己和公司女性高管的推动。

Even at multinational corporations, the progress of women in senior leadership roles can be likened to an hourglass, said Mr. Marsh. 'You see a better pool of people at the top but it really thins out a level or two down from the CEO or board of directors.' Women make up a large number of entry-level positions, but often see waning representation at management levels.

马什说，即使是跨国企业，在女性担任高层职位方面所取得的进展也像是计时沙漏一样缓慢。他说，最高管理层的确比较优秀，但从CEO或董事会往下，真的会低一两个档次。入门级职位中大多是女性，而到了管理层，女性往往逐渐减少。

Top executives will have to recognize that a more balanced management team could help drive success in business, said Mr. Marsh.

马什说，高管必须要意识到，一个性别更为平衡的管理团队有助于取得商业成功。

Brad Adams, human resources research director at advisory firm CEB, said many top companies are looking beyond the notion of diversity to the concept of 'inclusion management,' which emphasizes broad thinking, openness to new ideas, deeper understanding of customers or supply chains, and the diversity of markets.

咨询公司CEB人力资源研究主管亚当斯(Brad Adams)说，很多大公司已不满足于多元化概念，而是着眼于“包容管理”的概念。后者强调开阔思维、接受新观点、深入理解客户或供应链以及市场多样性。

But ending the gender disparity will require conscious effort. 'Diversity needs to be done proactively,' said Scott Price, president and CEO of Walmart Asia. 'It does not happen by default.'

但终结性别差异需要各方有意识的努力。沃尔玛(Walmart)亚洲总裁兼首席执行长贝思哲(Scott Price)说，多元化需要人们积极主动的努力，它不会自动形成。