ABSTRACT
The advancement of women in leadership positions in politics and corporations is essential to achieve gender equality (Schein, 2007). However, according to Schein (2007), 30 years after her revelation of the ‘think manager – think male’ attitude in the United States, gender stereotypes in management roles continue to exist worldwide, despite some progress. This chapter examines opportunities and obstacles faced by women in three major East Asian countries – the People’s Republic of China (hereafter China), Japan and the Republic of Korea (hereafter Korea) – in developing their managerial careers. These three countries were chosen in part because of their geographical and cultural proximities, their relatively similar economic growth stages and the profound historical influence they have exerted on each other in spite of significant differences in their contemporary political systems.
