"The Internet on all levels is a much more democratic and level playing field. It's more about smarts, drive and passion, than who you are, ethnically and genderwise," said Lisa Crane, chief executive officer of Internet music firm Soundbreak.com.

While refreshing, the opportunities afforded Crane and her peers such as Meg Whitman, CEO of online auctioneer eBay Inc, are still the exception. On International Women's Day two weeks ago, women around the world protested the continued gap in wages between men and women.

"I've found little issues about being a woman in this business," said Crane, a former NBC entertainment and Universal Studios executive. "There still might be a boys' club in the financing end of the business, but otherwise the woman thing is pretty inconsequential."

Indeed, CEOs such as Hewlett-Packard Co's Carly Fiorina - the only woman to head one of the Dow 30 blue-chip companies - prefer not to be looked at as "female" chief executives.

"I hope we've reached the time where gender is interesting but not the main focus," Fiorina said. "Companies that are going to survive or excel have to focus on getting the best talent, regardless of gender, race or anything else. Bias of any kind is a luxury companies can no longer afford."

Breaking the mould

At times, Crane meets people who think women are "technophobic." "There are people who think you don't know what you're talking about, which is offensive," she said.

Equally offensive were suggestions by recruiters that she pursue "female" jobs like marketing and brand development.

But Pam Miller, chief executive officer of San Francisco-based software company Rocket Network, actually thinks this is what sets women apart in the sector. "I have a bit of a theory that there are a lot of women who are becoming successful CEOs in Internet businesses because of all the branding that's going on with the Internet," she said.

For a long time the business was technology-driven, but now there is a need for marketing skills.

"Marketing has always been woman in dot-com companies," said Miller, citing her friend Julie Wainright, who runs Pets.com and was CEO of Reel.com. "Julie and I worked together at Clorox and she's been terribly successful at focusing on branding."

Crane, a mother of three, said children seemed to be an issue when she was pursuing jobs in entertainment but it rarely comes up now. "People in this industry assume that if you're in and have kids you've figured out how to work around it."

But she admits the pace at dot-coms is not for everybody. "A lot of women in bigger companies want to cross over but they're afraid of the pace," she said.

Male world

The number of women between 25 and 34 in managerial and professional jobs has increased 14.6 per cent to 5 million in the last five years, the Bureau of Labour Statistics says. But, while female executives are on the rise, the top ranks of Fortune 500 companies are still dominated by men.

The resignation last month of Mattel Inc Chief Executive Jill Barad left just three women at the helm of Fortune 500 firms, according to Catalyst, a New York-based women's advocacy and research group. Barad's ouster led some experts to wonder whether female CEOs are getting harsher scrutiny.

"I think it's the consensus in the women's executive community that the few women in top spots get more media attention and are judged in a far harsher light on a short-term basis than their male counterparts," said Pearl Meyer, a compensation consultant.

"I don't know if the directors of Mattel would have judged a male differently but I think there are concerns they may have been put under more pressure from the spotlight of the media and investors to a female CEO," she added.

Members of Mattel's board have denied that gender played a role in Barad's departure following months of intense pressure over slipping sales and profits.

Besides Hewlett-Packard's Fiorina, other top female chief executives at Fortune 500 companies include Andrea Jung of Avon Products Inc and Marion Sandler, co-chief executive of Golden West Financial Corp.

Employment experts said demographics should eventually level out the playing field.

"The climb in a Fortune 500 company is a rigorous, 20- to 30-year trek. There wasn't a large pool of qualified women in these companies prior to 1970 but now 50 per cent of people in grad school are women," said Bob Rollo, an executive recruiter and president of Los Angeles-based Rollo Associates. (Agencies via Xinhua)