I think this is not just a problem for women, but for anyone who is either not assertive by nature, or has been raised to believe in being modest. Sadly, that doesn't count for much today. Yes, the majority of upper level management is male, and yes, a lot of them probably got there by beating their own drum (maybe what we all need is drum lessons!). I'm guessing this is not innate, but a matter of socialization, and I suspect this will be less and less of a problem in the future.

(I'm sort of retired now, and really happy not to have to report to management any more - I was never good at beating my own drum, either in one-on-one meetings, group meetings or annual performance reviews. In my last year or so working, I actually did try to imagine I was writing ad copy to sell my skills, but it didn't work terribly well. Thank heavens I'm not in marketing. I'd be a complete failure.)