NEW YORK (AP) -- At the current rate of change, it could take American women 47 years to reach parity with men as corporate officers of Fortune 500 companies, according to a survey released Wednesday.

The survey, conducted by Catalyst, an independent nonprofit that tracks women's progress in executive offices and boards, found that women held just 15.6 percent of Fortune 500 corporate officer positions, down from 16.4 percent in 2005. The number of companies with three or more women corporate officers also decreased.

The number of women in top-paying jobs rose slightly, climbing to 6.7 percent from 6.4 percent in 2005.

Women's presence on boards was nearly stagnant; 14.6 percent of Fortune 500 board seats were held by women in 2006.

Women of color held only 3.1 percent of director positions and the number of companies with no women directors grew.

Catalyst conducted its census of U.S. women executives and board members by pulling data from public documents.

Is this article useful to you?