By one estimate, women hold about 24% of top management positions globally, with comparable figures across regions and development levels. A recent study by the Credit Suisse Research Institute (CSRI) of 3,000 companies in diverse sectors and countries, however, yields a more depressing conclusion: women occupy only about 13% of top management positions (CEOs and people who report directly to them), on average, with even the highest rate, in North America, amounting to only 15%.