B-Schools Lagging Behind When It Comes To Gender Balance

UC Berkeley Haas takes the lead with a 43% female student body. Women now make up 60% of university graduates, but most business schools have lagged behind when it comes to gender balance—impacting not just women’s experience of b-school, but the composition of the workforce afterward. A new report from gender consulting firm 20-first looks at the numbers of women MBA students and faculty at top programs, and finds that while there has been some improvement in the last few years, we still have a ways to go before achieving gender balance. Lesley Symons, one of the authors of the report, points out that this â€Å"balance† is not merely an issue of numbers—currently, the curriculum at most b-schools is defined and driven by male faculty, male-dominated case studies, etc. She suggests that a deeper issue of cultural change is at stake, in order to make business education â€Å"gender bilingual† and effectively train the next generation of business leaders. The report found that gender balance among students at top programs is improving (with several top US programs near or over 40% representation for women), while faculty numbers are slower to budge. Here are some of the report’s findings regarding female MBA students and faculty: Related Resources: †¢ Best MBA Programs and How to Choose the Right One †¢ Leaning in While Pursuing Your MBA: The MBA Mama Story †¢ Forte Helps Women In Business Thrive: Interview with Elissa Sangster