Why Aren’t More Women Taking High-Level Business Classes?

0



By LINDA A. LIVINGSTONE

A shift in the playing field was felt last month when it was announced that Drew Gilpin Faust would become Harvard University’s next president. Not only is Dr. Faust’s appointment as the first woman president a milestone for the institution, it’s a symbolic first for those who desire to be at the top of their profession.


In her actions, Dr. Faust’s ambition and ascension have significant meaning for women who aspire to reach the highest levels. In her words, she states the admirable desire for women to earn greater prominence and stature in the sciences where women have not had an equal share of top positions. In her presence, she suggests that we may be moving away from limiting talent purely on the basis of gender.


However, there’s one area that wasn’t mentioned by Dr. Faust that can propel women to greater success and that is business school. For men and women alike, business school can be the road to leadership. What’s more, the supposedly neutral laws that drive business supply and demand, cost and benefit, profit and loss suggest that women who apply themselves should excel in business school and their careers.


But the facts show a different phenomenon. Overall, 59 percent of all graduate level degrees were awarded to women according to the most recent statistics from U.S. Department of Education. In medical and health sciences post-secondary education, women have majority enrollment. However, when it comes to getting an M.B.A., according to the Wall Street Journal, men hold roughly two-thirds of the enrollment.


So, why aren’t more women exploring business education at the highest levels? Why aren’t more women getting their M.B.A.?


Before starting a traditional M.B.A. program, most schools encourage prospective students to get two to five years’ business experience. Part-time executive programs typically aim for people with eight to 15 years of experience.


Nothing is inherently wrong with those requirements. An M.B.A. is by nature an applied degree and the best programs ask students to wrestle with theoretical issues in the context of business. Students are better able to succeed when they are grounded in real-world business experience.



Weeding out

Inadvertently, however, the system seems perfectly designed to weed out women whose life-work choices may involve family. Without additional flexibility in schedules and workload, many women leave the workplace, and their educational goals, behind all together.


There also is a reputation issue among business programs and the business world at large. At a time of highly publicized corporate scandals, environmental disasters, and ruthless cost-cutting, it’s all too easy to conclude that the business world is led by cutthroat, heartless, ethically-challenged people who are oblivious to any societal mission beyond turning a profit. How could we expect a heightened interest in a field with such distasteful behavior?


Finally, there is still a lack of women in high-level positions in the business world. After a conscious or unconscious cost-benefit analysis, many women may conclude that earning an M.B.A. is not worth the time, energy, and money. They may ask: Why go through all the trouble for the right to compete on a slanted playing field with few female peers?


Regardless of these barriers, the picture is good for those earning an M.B.A. Recently, the National Association of Colleges and Employers released a study that showed employers report they plan to hire 22 percent more MBA graduates from the Class of 2007 than they hired from the Class of 2006.


And at the end of the day, the neutral laws of business may win out. Business schools need to embrace the increasingly female customer base.


Given this, I predict an upswing in women’s participation in programs that emphasize ethics, values-driven business practices, teamwork over individual accomplishments, a broad interpretation of the bottom line, opportunities for mentoring and networking with exceptional alumni and fellow students, and exposure to a rigorous educational experience that prepares women to compete head to head with anyone in the business world. Ultimately, it’s about demonstrating a clear salary and career advancement benefit for those women who do choose to get an M.B.A.


Conversely, I think women have an unprecedented opportunity to introduce change in the workplace particularly at the senior level. Imagine if the percentage of women getting their M.B.A. jumped from today’s 35 percent to 50 percent the shift would be more than just a leveling of the playing field. It would be seismic.



Linda A. Livingstone is dean of the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University

No posts to display