Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/58061
Your Turn Where Are All the Female MBAs? If women make up half the population, why don't they make up half of students enrolled in MBA programs? At most universities, female enrollment in the MBA program hovers at just above 35 percent. Why aren't more women applying to graduate schools of business? In 2000, the women's research and advisory group Catalyst part- nered with the University of Michi- gan to conduct a study to find the answers. The top reasons respon- dents gave were: They don't have enough role models and mentors; they're concerned about flexibility and work/life balance; and they have serious concerns about academ- ic and other pressures. To address the issues uncovered in the Catalyst study and inspire more women to become business leaders, Forté Foundation was founded in 2001. Forté has con- ducted studies and done intensive outreach to women at all stages of their careers to encourage their pursuit of business leadership posi- tions. As executive director of Forté Foundation, I have been able to closely watch the changes in MBA programs over the past few years and see what progress they have made since my days as assistant dean and director of the MBA Pro- gram at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin. Even though b-schools have been working to address these issues, the concerns of women remain. True, female enrollment rates in MBA programs have made steady prog- ress since 2000, and many business 64 BizEd MAY/JUNE 2007 by Elissa Ellis schools have broken the 35 percent "glass ceiling." Yet, at Forté, we still hear some of the same concerns from young women who are con- sidering applying for their MBAs, which means much still remains to be done. I have a blunt truth for business school administrators: If you want women to enroll in your gradu- ate business programs, you need to work harder to attract them. Primar- ily, this means finding ways to show them how successful they could be in business careers—and how your school can set them on the right path. It is imperative that you pro- actively counsel these young women about their many and varied career choices, how these options could fit into their personal life goals, and what hurdles they might encounter on the way. Our research has identified five broad strategies that can help any business school attract more women to its graduate program. Most of them cost little, but they could have far-reaching effects on the female population of your school. Start earlier. Don't just recruit undergraduates. Work to change the perceptions of high school students about busi- ness careers and business education. Reach out to parents, who are often the key influencers when it comes to career choices. Too often, I've seen parents direct their sons toward specific career goals and experiences, while encouraging their daughters to remain flexible and open to all options. This hesitation puts young women at a disadvantage because they immediately find themselves several steps behind their male counterparts. Tap into groups that serve teens and preteens. You can work with junior achievement organizations or local business groups that encour- age young women to pursue busi- ness careers. You also can encourage faculty and students to participate in high school programs or summer camps so young women can interact with them and grow excited about business prospects. Think about partnering with a group like Independent Means Inc., which runs Camp $tart Up, a busi- ness plan competition that encour- ages entrepreneurial spirit in girls ages 14 to 18. One of the group's partners, the Johnson School at Cornell University, hosts a camp each summer as a pipeline develop- ment tool for its business school. The details are online at www.johnson. cornell.edu/odi/campstartup/. Use women to recruit women. E-mail prospective students infor- mation that showcases female pro- fessors or features current female students. At the same time, find a student who would be willing to answer questions or be a resource at an online bulletin board, and include her contact information in these e-mails. Make sure your Web site includes photographs of students and faculty who are women. Consider including case histories or videos from female alums who explain why they decided to apply for their MBAs. Review the print materials that you use in recruiting or that you share with alums. If you don't have a brochure that specifically targets female MBA candidates, create one. One-half to one-third of b-schools don't have a women's brochure— don't be left behind.