I have a rule of thumb that tells me when there is no longer a glass ceiling in a profession: three previous CEOs have to have been women. We now have our third female United States Secretary of State. By my metric this makes Foreign Service a career that places no restrictions on women’s advancement. The new administration’s firm but open international approach makes this an ideal time for college students, especially women, to consider a career in the Foreign Service.

Women’s talents and interests are particularly suited to an international career. Compared to men, women are, in general, less resistant to exploring relationships with individuals from different cultures, and are more likely to study a second language and participate in study abroad. Women tend to perceive leadership as relational rather than hierarchical, and they have a greater desire for a career that involves “making the world a better place.”

On the other hand, young women are less likely than young men to choose academic majors that would expose them to the worlds of diplomacy and international careers. They are less likely than men to major in economics, political science, public policy or history, and less likely to choose internships in government, foreign affairs and international non-governmental organizations.

What can you do to encourage your daughter to consider the Foreign Service or international relations as a career?

• Encourage her to consider majors that could enhance her diplomacy skills and her facility with world economics and culture.
• Encourage her to study abroad, and look for a college that integrates these opportunities into the curriculum. Keep your cringe inside when she says that she wants to “go work abroad for a year.”
• Encourage her from a very young age to value service to others in all of its forms, both personal and organizational. Discuss the variety of ways to make the world a better place. Women tend to view service as a volunteer endeavor. One can help villagers dig a well, or help change the physical infrastructure of the country. Both have enormous value.
• When your daughter is choosing a study abroad experience, encourage her to work with professors to expand her program. Can she complete an internship, service experience or undergraduate research while “in country?”
• Encourage her to consider internships in the governmental or nonprofit sector, particularly internships that take her to Washington, D.C., for the semester or the summer.
• Very early in her college career, encourage your daughter to prepare to apply for the “competitive fellowships” — the Rhodes, Truman, Marshall and Pickering fellowships. The rigor of the preparation itself is valuable in building a résumé for an international career. If she is fortunate enough to be awarded one of these fellowships, it will not only pay for some or all her graduate education, it will likely guarantee her entrée into a fulfilling life career.

These strategies will help your daughter become a more engaged citizen and encourage a fulfilling career in the Foreign Service or international relations.