How to Do International Business… as a Woman

So are the rules of business the same around the world for men and women? As with most questions in international business environments, the answer is…it depends.

In the past thirty years, women have become a greater portion of the global workforce, as well as grown in the number of leadership positions held. We’re still far from equal in the global business world, but we’ve come a long way, Sisters!

That said, we need to keep in mind that not all cultures value gender equality in the workplace. My perspective is that we need to be prepared for common gender-bias situations that arise so that we can handle it with grace, poise, and without losing sight of the business objectives we seek to meet.

So I put this scenario to my blog followers to find out what you think a girl needs to do to get past this unfortunately common situation:

You’ve been working hard to negotiate a partnership in a host country. One night after dinner with your counterparts, a member of the partner company makes a pass at you. How do you avoid you or your partner losing face (or respect) and keeping the situation from interfering with the objective of establishing the partnership?