What do National Semiconductor, Maxwell House Coffee, Deloitte Touche, and Hearst Magazines have in common? All these organizations are headed by women. (46) Moreover, according to a recent study by Catalyst(卡特利思特), a national nonprofit organization assisting women in business, more than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies have at least one woman on their boards of directors, up from 69 percent two years earlier. Despite all this, there is evidence that women are not commonly found at the executive level. No fortune 500 companies has a female CEO; women executives are extremely underrepresented in some industries, such as manufacturing, engineering, and financial services; and responses to the Catalyst survey show that six in ten women believe women suffer discrimination in obtaining executive business positions. (47) Although the climb up the corporate ladder seems to be going slowly for women, corporate America would benefit from having more women in senior management positions. Not only do women represent a large untapped pool of talent, they also bring an alternative perspective to management teams. In addition, women account for about 80 percent of U.S. consumer spending, making their input at the executive level invaluable. Industry experts have pinpointed several stumbling blocks to women"s progress up the corporate ladder. Among these barriers are the stereotypes and preconceived notions of women that some men in managerial positions still bring to the recruiting process. (48) In addition, because women are often excluded from the informal network outside the office. For example, by not being given season tickets to sporting events and by not being invited to play golf, they miss out on the opportunity of build relationships. Other impediments include difficulties in balancing career and family (women are still the primary caregivers in our society), lack of general management experience, reluctance to travel or to relocate, and" inhospitable corporate cultures that drive women away before they are ready for executive position. Although a growing number of women choose to step off the traditional career by starting their own businesses, many are finding ways to keep climbing to the top. Catalyst"s interviews with women in executive positions suggest "three essential factors for their advancement. (49) Women must consistently exceed performance expectations, develop a style with which male management is comfortable, and seek out difficult high-visibility assignments. Valerie Salembeir, publisher of Esquire, advises women to look for companies that have the reputation of being good places for them to work. Linda Srere, executive vice president of the advertising agency Young & Rubicon, stresses the need to take risks. (50) Whatever methods they are using, one thing is clear: women are going after equality themselves instead of waiting for organizations to deliver it. They know that of all the reasons given for why women should run companies, the single best reason is simply that they can.