So a woman doing the same thing automatically stands out. Use your status as a relative novelty to your advantage. Be confident, act confidently, and know your stuff. Then do what you came for. Even in countries where women are indisputably second-class citizens, educated women command respect.
American women have a particular advantage in international business.
In time, women in other parts of the world, such as Japan and many parts of Europe, will have taken similar strides toward equality in the workplace, and to become a familiar presence in the global arena. For right now, though, America continues to stand for equality and for a strong work ethic. People expect Americans, men and women, to be smart, gutsy and aggressive, and to mean business. Consequently, an American businesswoman overseas tends to be viewed first as an American, then as a representative of their own or someone else's company, and lastly as a woman. First of all, remember that you've got a product they want, or you wouldn't be there.