New Delhi: U.S. Ambassador Nancy J Powell said more opportunities were opening up for women now allowing younger women to see broader career possibilities.

“With groups like Biz Divas and other signs of progress - more women enrolling in MBA programs, more women in long-term careers, more women CEOs in major corporations like Pepsi, Yahoo and IBM, for example - more and more opportunities are opening up, which means that younger women see broader possibilities,” she said.

“My hope is that we're creating a new self-perpetuating model,” the Ambassador said addressing a programme 'Women in the Boardroom - Unleashing the Economic Potential of Women in India' organised by Biz Divas Delhi Chapter here.

Powell, however, acknowledged that there remained significant barriers for women in business everywhere though they have been at the cutting edge of economic change.

“As we in this room know, the truth is that throughout history women have been at the cutting edge of economic change. What is equally true, however, is that there remain significant barriers for women in business everywhere,” she said.

“Access to financing, to markets, to training, to mentors and networks, and to technology, not to mention cultural attitudes and enduring stereotypes of what women can and cannot do - are just some of the difficulties,” she pointed out.

Powell noted that too often historically in India, in the U.S. and around the world women have been excluded from the important business networks making the male-dominated business world a self-perpetuating phenomenon.

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