Women in B-schools: Removing Barriers
It’s fairly common knowledge that business schools attract proportionally fewer women than other professional fields. In fact, only about 30 percent of MBA students across the country are female. Why is that?
Researchers suggest that, on the whole, b-schools just aren’t female friendly. Schools are recruiting MBA candidates just about the time that many women are starting families. Business schools often have a male-dominated faculty, and a relatively inflexible curriculum that neglects areas like entrepreneurship, where women have been pioneers.
At UNC, we’re removing those barriers to entry for women. And it’s our dedicated women students, staff and faculty who are driving this change.
Becky Smith, MBA 2008 and mother of two preschoolers, mentioned in her graduation speech that she knew at least twenty classmates (men and women) who welcomed new children while in the Program. Starting a family and an MBA is hard, but not impossible. If you’d like to talk with one of our students to find out how they do it, write to me in the comment box below and I’ll set it up.
Most of the MBA for Executives staff are female, and we understand the challenges of being a busy professional woman with a family. We do everything possible (including offering our offices for pumping!) to enable these women to achieve all that they do.
And we have incredible women faculty at UNC Kenan-Flagler. It’s one thing to tout that we have a female-friendly environment — it’s another to lead by example. Our strong female faculty is a powerful model for women in business. Doctors Mabel Miguel, Patty Harms, Heidi Schultz, Ashraf Jaffer, Susan Palmer and Lisa Jones-Christensen are just a few of the impressive faculty members who will inspire you in the MBA for Executives Program.
So, come check us out! Come to an information session and meet some of the students, alumni, staff and faculty who are helping us make b-school more accessible to women. You can check out our facilities and learn more about the programs and resources available to you. Come and find out how you can get your MBA at UNC — and enjoy every minute of it.
