10 points from the July 23, 2005 article in The Economist

• The ratio of men to women is 10 to 1 in the executive suite - little has changed in the last 2 decades.
• Firms are starting to take a new look at data that suggests profitability is higher for companies that have a more diverse executive team.
• IBM is one of the companies that has performed a rapid turn-around partly because they blame their lack of diversity with a failure to spot dramatic changes in the computer market during the early '90s.
• Many firms, it appears, are still intolerant of the absences women often take off for their families.
• A study of American graduate managers found that women who returned to work after 3 years off lost an average of 37% of their earning power.
• Companies should focus on the point of re-entry with potential re-training programs and part-time options.
• Women too have to take up some of the burden by staying in touch with their former employer and adopting realistic expectations for how they can return.
• Technology advances should support the ability for women to adopt more flexible schedules without the social pressure or need to be at the physical office until 6 pm.
• Flexible programs need to be provided to men who bare the burden of primary care at home.
• Men at the top need to learn that women are not just men in skirts - recognition of the different challenges will remove some of the historical barriers.