in the united states and in every economy in apeck, millions of women are still sidelined, unable to find a meaningful place for themselves in the work force. some of those though get to enter the work force are really confined by very clear signals to a lower rung on the job ladder, and there is a web of legal and social restrictions that limit their potential. or they are confronted with a glass ceiling that keeps them from the most senior positions. only 11 of the c.e.o.'s of the fortune global 500 companies are women. that is less than 3%. some women in the apec region don't have the same inheritance rights as men. so they can't inherit property or businesses owned by their fathers. some don't have the power to confer citizensship on their children, so their families have less access to housing and education, and they must constantly renew residency permits, making it harder for them to work. some are even subject to different taxes than men. too often they are denied access to credit and may even be prohibited from opening bank accounts, signing contracts, purchasing property, i

trusted traveler cards, for expedited entry to certain asia-pacific nations which are members of the apeck forum. -- ap, ec forum. at this transition, members of apec, the united states already provides foreign business travelers who have apec business travel cards with expedited scheduling visa interviews at u.s. embassies and consulates and use of dedicated lanes of expedited entry when traveling to the united states. however, since the united states has not yet issued carding for u.s. citizens who wish to participate in this program, americans are currently unable to enjoy the same time-saving benefits that some 70,000 foreign holders of apec business cards enjoy when coming to the united states. during this challenging economic times, we must all do what we can to facilitate business development and that includes encouraging international travel and negotiations. expanding u.s. participation in the apec business travel card is a simple way to support these goals -- goals and facilitate travel, whether it be through l.a.x. or j.f.k. note, this legislation will have no deterrent on the h