The percentage of women who fill high-end positions in the brokerage industry has climbed sharply over the last 20 years. In fact, most female brokerage executives today say they are more or less satisfied with the dispensation of salaries and senior positions among men and women in their field. Patricia Purnell Baum, senior vice president for Tucker Anthony's office in Annapolis, Md., is one of them. Baum says women have made major inroads over the last 10 years, and in so doing, are gaining ground in the field. Part of the progress, experts say, has to do with the fact that women have more buying power now than ever and control a bigger part of the economy.