Women and an MBA Degree
March 9th, 2007
I love reading the Financial Times. I really do. I just have a heck of a time finding the time to regularly read it between work duties, family, and my own other daily reading (e.g., Wall Street Journal and NY Times and a number of China blogs!). This post has nothing to do with China, but is completely relevant to our MBA program.
An interesting article in the Financial Times [subscription may be required] just came out called “Stepping Stones to Top Careers.”
Some highlights of the article:
- 64% of full-time MBA programs saw an increase in the proportion of female applicants. Part-time programs, a 47 percent increase.
- The ratio of men to women in top MBA programs is still woefully low — 2:1.
- The schools that succeed in attracting the most female applicants are those that have targeted outreach programs. On the other hand, some women resist women-specific marketing.
- There is no simple answer why women are increasingly turning to the MBA degree. (Why do you think they are?)
- Recruiters are increasingly interested in recruiting women graduates, yet there is still a substantial salary gap between earnings for male and female MBA alumni. (Why do you think this is?)
See also this related Financial Times article, “Ask the Experts: Women in Business.”
Great articles. A must read. Your thoughts?
Ladies — what do we do well here in this regard? What can we “reasonably” do better here to make our own MBA program more attractive to women applicants? (And I emphasize the word “reasonably” because all ideas and suggestions have to be executed within location, cost, resource, expertise, time, etc. constraints and while some ideas are great in theory they have no shot of being done well, effectively and/or at all. Classic cost-benefit analysis.)
Fellas — how do you see this issues? What do you need to be thinking about and respond to in the marketplace as future managers and firm owners to make your firms attractive to even more women job applicants? And do you in your heart of hearts support the opening up of what has traditionally been “the mens club” in a number of areas of business and industry? Why or why not? Discuss. Does it bother you that statistics show that your women classmates, on average, are paid less than you? Discuss.
Professor Carr July 17, 2007 Addendum: Read this related Wall Street Journal article [subscription may be required] that just came out, How To Raise Female MBA Enrollment.
Entry Filed under: Pre-Departure, China, Misc.
9 Comments Add your own
1. Dream Dong | March 13th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Women gets stonger and stonger!
2. Bonnie Morse | March 17th, 2007 at 9:04 am
For me, getting my MBA is all about timing. While women are having children later in life, many women (including myself) still plan on starting a family in their mid to late 20s or early 30s. This lifestyle choice can stand in the way of pursuing an advanced degree, since many MBA programs require work experience.
As a comparison, one of the schools I looked at when considering an MBA program was the University of Washington. It offers a two year program, with students averaging five years work experience and being 29 years old. However, this program was unrealistic for me since it would mean I would have to go back to school at the same time I was considering a family. Cal Poly’s one year program let me pursue an advanced degree without sacrificing my future family goals. I think if programs are to draw in more women, they will have to reduce the requirements for work experience and accept more students right after graduation. This may conflict with optimal work experience requirements, but the opportunities it offers in terms of increased diversity may be worth it.
3. Chris Carr | March 17th, 2007 at 11:07 am
Good point, Bonnie. I think you have raised an important issue that not many folks have thought about (nor have I seen written about re: MBA programs across the country).
4. Lindsay Yoshitomi | March 18th, 2007 at 11:26 pm
More and more women seek advanced degrees to become more competitive as they hit the job market. It’s a male-dominated world whether you look at the business field, engineering, medicine and so on. Even in areas where you’d think women would dominate, the men rise up. Take cooking….women cook at home, so why are the top chefs men?
An MBA or any other advanced degree of study gives a person an edge. It says I’m determined, I’m investing in myself, and I have the tools to compete with anyone. I also think that an advanced degree can give a woman a head start in the work place. It shows an employer that she is a leader, not a follower. Also, we are the reproducers of the world and inevitably take time off from work to do so. That means we need to start our careers with strong leadership skills and move up as fast as we can because more than likely our careers will be interrupted.
Why is there still a gap between men and women’s salaries? Not all organizations are guilty of that, but by and large, it is still that way. I believe although companies like to think they are modern models, some primordial sense of things continue to separate genders. And maybe because men are usually at the helm of organizations, this separation of abilities lingers. As women become more confident of their ability to lead and of their decision-making skills, pursuing an MBA is a natural step. To nurture this, Cal Poly needs to have lecture series with more women CEOs as speakers. Some may resist women-specific events, but those who have goals set for the top will always be inspired by the ones who have made it.
5. Stacey Westenberger | March 22nd, 2007 at 9:33 pm
First of all, I would like to address not just the section labeled “ladies” above. I think we can all (men and women) make suggestions on how a school can attract more women to an MBA program. We can also all make suggestions of how to attract more women job applicants to our firms as future firm owners and managers (both men and women).
Cal Poly’s MBA program is currently 30% women (http://www.cob.calpoly.edu/gradProgram/degrees/demographics.html). The current accelerated programs (such as the Architectural Management Track) are one way to increase the number of women in the program. Creating a broader range of these programs within other majors may increase interest. One argument in the articles above is that women do not find it feasible to return to business school once they have started a family or opt to begin family life before returning for a MBA degree. These accelerated programs allow students to receive an MBA degree as their career is beginning. However one drawback to this scenario is the lack or real world experience, which is required in many other MBA programs.
I began the MBA program at Cal Poly through the Architectural Management Track and did so out of convenience and interest in business principles. I view a MBA degree as a compliment to the Architecture degree I have received. Business knowledge is a necessity for any discipline and for life. A business degree has provided me with basic knowledge regarding finance, politics, global issues, etc. which effect all things happening around me everyday. The ability to understand more about the world in which we live is an empowering tool for life, not just career. I saw the MBA program as an opportunity for me to gain a better understanding of what is driving the development process for which I will become involved through architecture and the many disciplines involved.
As for the second topic, attracting women applicants to future firms as managers, I believe I can start by setting an example. Women in management positions will attract other women to the firm. I agree with a comment in the above article that both men and women have similar ambition. Making opportunities within the firm clear to prospective employees will attract the right people for the job (men or women). Although it is often thought (and eluded to in the above articles) that women are more family oriented and need to split time between both, I feel this situation can be quite the same for men. Offering benefits for both men and women, i.e. flexibility in schedules, maternity/paternity leave, childcare, personal days, etc. will help both men and women to juggle both successful careers and families.
6. Ashley Smith | March 23rd, 2007 at 10:05 am
Maybe some women are afraid to get their MBA because they know how many people in the world outside of business will perceive them. Before school started I told a friend of mine that I was getting my MBA. His response was, “Really?!?! I never quite pictured you as the b**chy business type.” I’m not sure how prevalent this stereotype is seeing as though more and more women are entering the business world but I think it may still be a deterrent to many. On the other hand, those who let a little stereotype stop them from doing what they want may not belong in a MBA program.
7. Chris Carr | March 28th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
Ashley,
Wow. Do dinosaurs like this guy still really exist?! He was/is clueless re: what an MBA is all about!
Ignore such statements, and keep pushing forward.
8. E.D. Hall | August 10th, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I watch the stats and read the comments. While the numbers look daunting, women in the private sectors are doing far better than graphs and charts indicate. The glass ceiling is evident more so in the corporate scene and is why I choose to stick to family owned & operated businesses where my skills and ingenuity are more profitable. My MBA is for my own personal growth and to challenge me to improve my life. I will give me the opportunity to explore other avenues, my passions. To ultimately free myself from the paycheck to paycheck mentality. Not because I think that getting this degree will guarantee me a six figure salary, but that it will prove to myself that I am resourceful enough and determined enough to find other ways of creating wealth for my family & I. It appears to me, and I could be wrong here so feel free to voice your opposition, that we are stereotyping women as “needy” by definition through the pointing out that we still make less than our male counterparts. There ARE great businesses out there that appreciate hard work by their employees regardless of whether that person is male or female. Why keep banging our fists on corporate doors where money is used as leverage over their employees? Liberate yourselves and strive for excellence in all that you do….find your personal joy and the career will take care of itself.
9. Chris Carr | August 11th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
E.D. Hall,
Thanks for checking in.
Good points.
I appreciate your approach for how and why you obtained your MBA, and agree that such an approach is far more likely to lead to professional happiness and “success” than the illusion of some that a graduate degree (MBA in particular) means more money or prestige.
As a comparison, my friends who went to law school for money or prestige or because they thought a law firm “really would operate like it does on Ally McBeal” were/are miserable, and ironically they, over beers they often turn around and lament that law schools or the legal profession itself is responsible for their own poor homework, decision and happiness.
Balderdash, I say. Life is hard, period. Get over it.
For those of us who saw “the law” as a way to make a difference in the world and be intellectually challenged and engaged and work with interesting clients and problems on a day-to-day basis, it’s been an incredible ride. Never easy. Often stressful. But what a ride …
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