The Penguin Economist Special reports delve into the most pressing economic issues of the day: from national and global economies, to the impact of trade, industry and jobs. Written to be read on a long commute or in your lunch hour - be better informed in under an hour.
When students graduate from university they are employed in equal numbers. Move up the ladder a few rungs and the number of women in high powered positions has fallen dramatically.
Women make up just 3% of Fortune 500 CEOs and still generally get paid less than their male counterparts.
Barbara Becks ask why this is and what can be done about it. She covers:
Closing the gap
Female labour markets: The cashier and the carpenter
A world of bluestockings
Work and family: Baby blues
Top jobs: Too many suits
Women in China: The sky's the limit
Looking ahead: Here's to the next half-century

Barbara Beck joined The Economist in 1965 and held various editorial posts, mainly on the business side. In 1974 she became European editor, a position she held until 1980. From 1981 to 1991, she was Secretary General of the Anglo-German Foundation for the Study of Industrial Society, a bilateral, government-funded think-tank. For the next three years she was editor of International Management magazine. In 1993 she became Head of Communications, Europe, for Andersen Consulting. She then returned to The Economist in 1995 as Special Reports editor.