Women Minority of One at Davos

At a five-day meeting that was more than 80 percent populated by men, women often were a minority of one on panels or not represented at all.

Sheryl Sandberg lingered on stage last week in Davos after leading a panel on “Women as the Way Forward,” and found herself surrounded by a dozen fans — all save one of them female.

Several participants, male and female, pointed out that securing an invitation to Davos is competitive, and the women who get there fought hard to build their careers. Sandberg, whose social-networking company may file for its initial public offering as early as the coming week, made that point.

Sandberg, the 42-year-old chief operating officer of Facebook Inc (798754)., accepted business cards and chatted with those seeking her attention. The co-chair of the World Economic Forum and her devotees that day constituted what was probably the most female-heavy gathering at Davos.

“Little girls are called bossy,” she told the audience on Jan. 27. “Anyone at Davos who as a girl was called bossy? If you got to Davos you were that. I was,” she said, raising her hand. “Success and likeability are positively correlated for men and negatively correlated for women.”

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