"Women are still not reaching the most senior levels of corporations," Porat, one of Wall Street's highest-ranking women, said yesterday at the Japan Society in New York. "This is not the shortcoming of women. We're talented and smart."

Four decades after substantial numbers of women began entering management ranks, they tend to start at lower salaries than men and rarely reach the top posts that pay most. Lawmakers should consider structural changes, such as requiring companies to provide family leave, so that women aren't forced to choose between successful careers and having children, said Porat, 56.

Women accounted for only 8 percent of the five best-paid executives at each of the Standard & Poor's 500 Index companies in 2012. They earned $5.3 million on average, or 18 percent less than men, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.