Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59881
OF THOSE WITH MBAS, 56.8 PERCENT OF WOMEN ARE LIKELY TO BE DISSATISFIED WITH THEIR JOB'S CAPACITY TO "MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER PLACE," COMPARED TO 44.5 PERCENT OF MEN. in terms of their ethics and the way they treat employees. The survey shows that many MBAs from top schools are skeptical about the honesty and ethics of Amer i can business, while women are even more skeptical than men. Among students, 66.9 percent of women and 56.8 percent of men dis- agree with the claim that American business is "honest and ethical"; among graduates, 69.6 percent of women and 60.1 percent of men with MBAs take that position. Nearly three-quarters of MBA graduates (74.9 percent) do not agree that businesses "care about employ- ees," while 69.7 percent believe that businesses pay top executives too much money. The majority, 55.5 per- cent, do not agree that businesses "do good things for their communities." In these cases, men's and women's views are similar. Meanwhile, only 33 percent of men and 26.1 percent of women say they have definitively favorable views of large companies. "On the one hand, it's troubling that most MBAs are concerned about the ethical stature of the cor- porate world," says S. Diane Graham, C200 Chair and Chairman of STRATCO Inc. "But, perhaps early-career business people and MBA candidates will channel their awareness and concerns in positive ways—to improve the ethical stance and priorities of businesses. Much of our research shows that women want to have a positive impact on society through their work. Helping to improve corporate citizenship is a key way for current and future women business leaders to do that." ■ Women still face serious challenges in the workplace, which is primarily controlled by men. Of recent MBA graduates, 90.5 work; 57.6 percent feel well-paid; and 56.3 percent feel satisfied. Nonetheless, 41.4 percent of the percent of women and 68.5 percent of men say that women face particu- lar business challenges. The key diffi- culty, according to 70.8 percent of women, is the lack of flexibility, lead- ing to problems with achieving a work/life balance. In addition, 48 percent of women with MBAs say finding mentors is a specific problem, while 46.2 percent worry about gain- ing access to business networks. In fact, most respondents with MBAs— 92.5 percent of women and 81.8 percent of men—perceive that busi- nesses are run primarily by men. "One of C200's core goals is to develop ways to help improve the pipeline of future women business leaders," says C200 Board Director Agnieszka Winkler, Founder of The Winkler Group. Survey results lead her to believe that "even now, we still need to do more to both prepare women for the corporate world and prepare the corporate world for women." ■ Women are more confident about job security than men are, but women are less excited about work. According to the survey, 57.9 per- cent of women MBAs say they have job security, while 49 percent of men feel that way. Most of these women find their work agreeable: 75.2 per- cent feel they have the ability to live according to their own values; 59.9 percent feel challenged by their women say they are not excited about their work, while 67.2 percent of the men with MBAs say they are. Perhaps this is because 63.9 percent of women MBAs do not believe their work contributes to society in a valu- able way, compared to 55.8 percent of men MBAs who feel that way. Of those with MBAs, 56.8 percent of women are likely to be dissatisfied with their job's capacity to "make the world a better place," compared to 44.5 percent of men. These survey figures are disturb- ing, says Anna K. Lloyd, executive director and president of C200. "If women MBAs aren't linking their work to societal value, then fewer stellar women will be drawn to busi- ness careers; and those who are may not put their full energy and spirit into their work," she says. She believes further research is necessary to determine what is causing the gap between men's and women's satisfac- tion with work—whether it's related to a discrepancy between the kinds of jobs men and women get, whether it holds true for entrepreneurial women as well as corporate women, and whether it's a general feeling among MBA women that springs from other root causes. Additional segments of the survey investigate how men and women rate themselves at executing specific busi- ness tasks, such as handling money and meeting deadlines, and whether they expect to be earning enough money to support a family or simply to provide for themselves. For addi- tional information about the C200 survey, contact Elizabeth Koons at Sommerfield Communications at elizabeth@sommerfield.com. BizEd JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2005 9