I’ve written in the past about the dearth of women entrepreneurs in France, and Vinita Gupta’s column yesterday in BusinessWeek zeroes in on the scarcity of women in senior roles within tech companies. Her data centers on the U.S. but many of her observations apply to some European countries as well, others less so.

For example, according to VentureOne, the number of startups in the U.S. led by female chief executives that attracted funding last year was just 4.3%. By my admittedly imprecise calculation using the same database, in France last year this figure hovers below 1%.

Gupta posits that the conventional explanations for this deficiency – a lack of role models for women in engineering and science; discouragement by parents and teachers toward grade-school girls from pursuing math and science; the occurrence of childbirth at the prime of their careers – are true yet insufficient.

Over and above these explanations lies the importance of confidence. An ability to think outside the box is a fundamental brick in the foundation of entrepreneurship. From an early age, boys expressing a point of view that is unique or unconventional are embraced and validated, whereas such rebellion is discouraged in young girls, subsequently undermining girls’ self confidence to think differently.

Confidence plays a role in communication too. Gupta characterizes the experiences of women in a male-dominated boardroom, where their brillance is dismissed when they cannot convey their ideas in a confident, logical manner. Similarly, a reaction to criticism that is logic-based vs. one that is rooted in emotion will be valued quite differently.

This is particularly relevant in France. French women are generally perceived as being passionate, fiery, charming, stylish. While these are all noteworthy qualities – and I will tread carefully here – for better or for worse, these traits are not consistently valued in the boardroom.

It is no coincidence that France consistently ranks poorly for its extent of women in leadership positions in the developed world (see the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap reports). Contrast this with Scandinavian countries – where cultural norms dictate that women are equally capable in business, and men are equally responsible for family raising – which have a far more balanced role of the genders in the workplace.

The solution – if we are willing to acknowledge this deficiency as a problem, which I submit we should – is not obvious yet nor is it impossible. Women undoubtedly possess the talents and skills for leadership roles in technology. In my opinion, part of the answer lies in starting earlier, incrementally changing the cultural norms for girls at a young age. Encourage young girls to question convention, challenge them to participate in science competitions, and perhaps most importantly, make it cool for them to play video games.