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headlines Promoting Gender Diversity AROUND THE WORLD, women in the workforce are underrepresented and underpaid, even when they have business degrees. In the U.S., according to a study conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, women earn an average $4,600 less than men at their initial post-MBA jobs, and the gap extends from that point forward. In Europe, according to statistics from the European Commission, women make up 60 percent of university graduates, but only 12 percent of the board members in Europe's biggest companies and only 3 percent of the board presidents. How can business schools encourage more young women to enroll in business schools and follow careers in business? A number of schools are focused on answering these questions. n At Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, the Johnson Graduate School of Management follows a number of strategies designed to enroll and retain women students and alums. For instance, Johnson's Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) hosts events such as the Women's Power Lunch Series and the annual Johnson Women in Business conference. The conference Women on the Board in Singapore THE NATIONAL UNIVERSITY of Singapore's Centre for Governance, Institutions, and Organisations (CGIO) has collaborated with BoardAgender to publish the first edition of a planned annual report on gender diversity in Singapore boardrooms. The report, published last fall, looked at all the firms listed on the Singapore Exchange (SGX) during the years 2008 to 2010— more than 700 companies and 5,000 directorships in each year. The study found that, across all sectors, female representation in 2010 stood at 6.9 percent. The two industries that had the most women in their boardrooms—9.4 percent on average—were trans- port, storage, and communications (TSC) and property. The one with the least? The finance sector, with 5.2 percent. The study also found that the average age of women directors in 2010 was 48, compared to 53 for males. Women also had fewer board directorships per person (1.1 seats) than their male counterparts (1.3). "The trends over the past three years do not give us grounds to assume that female representation on boards will improve rapidly, unless companies or policymakers take action to change the situa- tion," says Marleen Dieleman, associate director of the CGIO. "Only 356 out of 5,138 board directorships were held by women in 2010. With board diversity rap- idly becoming one of the standard metrics worldwide in measuring the quality of governance, we feel there is much room for improve- ment in Singapore." allows women to learn about the school's MBA pro- grams, gain insights on how to position themselves as top MBA candidates, and network with women who are already students, faculty, and alums of the school. The Johnson School also hosts the annual Women in Investing Conference, which educates women about the career opportunities available in investment man- agement—a field in which women are vastly underrep- resented. In addition, Johnson partners with the Forté Foundation to offer fellowships to women in its full- time, part-time, and executive MBA programs. According to Nsombi B. Ricketts, ODI director, "Women face specific challenges in the workplace, but the value they provide in all areas of the business world is critical, so we must continue to grow their presence in this turbulent economy." n In Europe, a number of leading universities met last fall with the European Union's Justice Commis- 10 January/February 2012 BizEd