I am an undergraduate student who is conducting research on the topic of women and "positions of power" in companies...i.e. the executives, presidents, the general core of the businesses. I am looking for statistics on how many women vs. men are actually in these core positions of power. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. Sincerely, Courtney

Thanks for your note to FEMINIST.COM. The reality is that the situation for women in corporate America is pretty bleak. I believe that only 3 of the Fortune 500 companies are headed by women. And, actually, that number might be down to 2, since I recently learned that Jill Barad had to step down from Mattel (or was forced to step down from Mattel. And the boards of these companies have a similiar unrepresentative group of members--I think that number of female board members hovers around 15%. To obtain these exact statistics, you should contact Catalyst--an organization devoted entirely to working to promote women to senior positions and leadership positions within corporate America. Catalyst is located at 120 Wall Street, New York, New York 10005.

Good luck conducting your research.

—Amy