Even though (or perhaps because) the United States is much less likely to use government intervention to dictate private‐​sector workplace decisions, the number of women in upper‐​level positions is significantly greater than in Europe according to the International Labour Organization. The EU Observer reports:

There are more women in top jobs in North America and in Latin America than in the European Union, a major new study by the International Labour Organization (ILO) shows. In the Global Report on Equality at Work 2007 – launched on Thursday (10 May) — North American women take up 41.2 percent of legislative or managing positions while the numbers are 35 percent for women in South America and the Caribbean and 30.6 percent for women in the EU.

Ironically, though not surprisingly, the bureaucrats at the ILO seem to think that more government is required to boost the role of women in the workforce. Too bad they did not grasp the implications of their own statistics:

A major theme of the ILO report is the persistent gender gaps in employment and pay and the need for integrated policies addressing sex discrimination in remuneration and occupational segregation by sex, while reconciling work and family responsibilities.