Since the 1960s, greater numbers of women have sought professional careers in business and achieved unprecedented workplace success. Yet despite the fact that women have become heads of corporations, nonprofit organizations, and even states, many analysts wonder why there are still so few female CEOs of big companies, or even women at the senior-officer level..

Sheila Wellington, a longtime management expert and NYU Stern School of Business professor, teaches a Women-in-Business-Leadership course that addresses inequities that remain in the workplace. In a recent discussion on how women are faring in corporate America today, Wellington comments, "I think we are in the midst of a cycle right now where there is a widespread perception that women aren't fully committed to their careers." As to the source of this perception, Wellington says, "It tends to happen every time the spotlight is on a high-ranking woman who flames out, like [former Hewlett-Packard CEO] Carly Fiorina."

. Wellington is no stranger to obstacles women face when climbing the corporate ladder. As a newly minted Radcliffe graduate in the 1950s, Wellington was told by her first employer that she had to sign a note promising she wouldn't get pregnant for at least two years. Fifty years later, Wellington boasts a stellar record of career achievement and now counsels on how women can attain top leadership posts in business. "You start hearing all kinds of people analyzing 'what women are doing wrong'," Wellington remarks. "But in my opinion it's time to shift the focus of the discussion to what companies can do better."