Of course, corporate culture has greatly evolved since then, but the female executive, or She-EO, remains a rare species with few role models. Who should women in positions of power look to as mentors: Oprah Winfrey? Julie Payette? Margaret Thatcher?

"No matter what you do, it's always somewhat awkward," Laurie laments. "It will be like this until there are more women in powerful jobs." Being too feminine can raise suspicions: "is she using her charms to succeed?" If you're masculine (that is, tough), you're a bitch: "who does she think she is?"

"No one says that a manager with a tie and a three-piece suit is power-hungry. They're simply doing their job." And so it goes: men's masculinity is not a problem in the work place; women's femininity is. According to Béatrice Abeille-Robin, a clinical psychologist specializing in organizational behaviour, "women must position themselves between two artificial archetypes, the perfect manager and the perfect woman." Like fitting a square inside a circle it's just that easy!