Women and the MBA

Women pursue their MBA for the same reasons as men:

• Advancing or changing their careers
• Increasing their earning power
• Building their networks, etc.

However, the challenges facing women differ. Typically, business schools are dominated my men, both in terms of students and faculty. It's a similar story in the business world, where men tend to dominate in the most high profile positions. A number of studies also show that women MBA's tend to make less further on in life than their male counterparts (although part of this is explained by women seeking more work life balance).

Women in MBA Programs
In Canada, the number of women entering full-time MBA programs hasn't changed substantially in a number of years. The table below looks at the percentage of women enrolled in some of the top MBA programs in Canada:

As you can see, the highest percentage of female students is only 35% (and the average is just over 30%). Compared to undergraduate degrees at University, where women outnumber men, the low female representation is somewhat surprising.

Resources for Female MBA Students
There are a number of separate organizations dedicated to helping women overcome some of the obstacles they face in pursuing an MBA and in advancing their careers after the degree. Two of the largest are the Forte Foundation and the National Association for Women MBA's (both US based). The success and struggles of women MBA's have also been written about most major business magazines and newspapers, including Forbes and the Financial Post.