The QS Women in Leadership Forums are a ground-breaking innovation by QS, creators of the World MBA Tour, that brings the female leaders of the future in touch with the big-hitting recruiters that value their leadership skills and abilities.
The QS Women in Leadership Forums are a ground-breaking innovation by QS, creators of the World MBA Tour, that brings the female leaders of the future in touch with the big-hitting recruiters that value their leadership skills and abilities.
In the past, the hard-nosed nature of the business world cautioned many women away from entering that male-dominated environment. And the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon, despite being widely reported, shows few signs of abating.
Add to this the stresses of a poor return on work/life balance in business, a perceived lack of support network for women and the fact that many in their early 30s are starting families while attempting to excel in business, and you may have a reason for why women are so under-represented, especially at board level.
"Women look at the business world and think, ‘Do I feel like this is a place I want to be?’" says Marie Wilson, Director of the Ms. Foundation for Women, a New York-based advocacy group for women and girls. A study published in 2000 called Gateway to Opportunity, embellishes this: “There is a small number of female mentors and role models, concern about balancing work and home life in the corporate world, and little encouragement from employers to secure an MBA.”
As a result, business schools have long reported under-representation by women on their courses - the average is around the one-third mark. And, according to recent statistics from the QS World MBA Tour, although 81% of women compared to 70% of men believe an MBA will improve their career prospects, it is telling that female MBAs expect to be paid 30% less than men.
Now, however, change is coming and support for women in leadership positions is at hand. The QS World MBA Tour reports a year-on-year increase in interest by women in MBA courses. In 2003, 28% of attendees were women. By 2007 this had increased to 39%. The proportion of women taking GMATs is booming by about 15% per annum, due to a concerted effort by business schools to correct the pro-male bias on campus.
There are now more scholarships targeted at women than men, partly because females are more likely to be self-funded than males, who appear to have better access to company sponsorships. Prof John Glynn, of Australia’s University of Wollongong GSB, says, “We have specific scholarships for women returnees, i.e. those who have taken time out to raise a family and who use the MBA to update or broaden their skills.”
Some schools, realizing the needs of the workplace and of the women who are needed in business positions, are lowering the age of female entrants on their courses. This allows women who plan to raise families to do so and return to their successful business careers. Companies are responding to this swing in public opinion by implementing programs to trumpet a recruitment message to the women executives of the future. Mere political correctness? No. To coin a phrase, ‘diversity is not politically correct; it is profitable’.
To meet this demand, and to get career-minded women MBAs in touch with the world’s big recruiting businesses, QS have created Women in Leadership Forums. These take place in key business centres around the world. They began as a London-based initiative but have now spread to Paris, Moscow, Frankfurt, London and New York. The growth of these events, attended by some of the world’s biggest companies such as Proctor and Gamble, KPMG and Morgan Stanley, is another example of how diversity recruitment has risen up the agenda of major companies in recent years.
QS Women in Leadership Forums address key questions and provide excellent networking opportunities. In London last year the theme was, “Having it all: Is it really possible?” Talented women seem to be discovering that, with good planning and support, they may not have to choose between family and career, but that it is possible to have both.
For details of Women In Leadership forums near you, visit www.qsforums.com.
The QS Women in Leadership Forums are a ground-breaking innovation by QS, creators of the World MBA Tour, that brings the female leaders of the future in touch with the big-hitting recruiters that value their leadership skills and abilities.
The QS Women in Leadership Forums are a ground-breaking innovation by QS, creators of the World MBA Tour, that brings the female leaders of the future in touch with the big-hitting recruiters that value their leadership skills and abilities.
In the past, the hard-nosed nature of the business world cautioned many women away from entering that male-dominated environment. And the ‘glass ceiling’ phenomenon, despite being widely reported, shows few signs of abating.
Add to this the stresses of a poor return on work/life balance in business, a perceived lack of support network for women and the fact that many in their early 30s are starting families while attempting to excel in business, and you may have a reason for why women are so under-represented, especially at board level.
"Women look at the business world and think, ‘Do I feel like this is a place I want to be?’" says Marie Wilson, Director of the Ms. Foundation for Women, a New York-based advocacy group for women and girls. A study published in 2000 called Gateway to Opportunity, embellishes this: “There is a small number of female mentors and role models, concern about balancing work and home life in the corporate world, and little encouragement from employers to secure an MBA.”
As a result, business schools have long reported under-representation by women on their courses - the average is around the one-third mark. And, according to recent statistics from the QS World MBA Tour, although 81% of women compared to 70% of men believe an MBA will improve their career prospects, it is telling that female MBAs expect to be paid 30% less than men.
Now, however, change is coming and support for women in leadership positions is at hand. The QS World MBA Tour reports a year-on-year increase in interest by women in MBA courses. In 2003, 28% of attendees were women. By 2007 this had increased to 39%. The proportion of women taking GMATs is booming by about 15% per annum, due to a concerted effort by business schools to correct the pro-male bias on campus.
There are now more scholarships targeted at women than men, partly because females are more likely to be self-funded than males, who appear to have better access to company sponsorships. Prof John Glynn, of Australia’s University of Wollongong GSB, says, “We have specific scholarships for women returnees, i.e. those who have taken time out to raise a family and who use the MBA to update or broaden their skills.”
Some schools, realizing the needs of the workplace and of the women who are needed in business positions, are lowering the age of female entrants on their courses. This allows women who plan to raise families to do so and return to their successful business careers. Companies are responding to this swing in public opinion by implementing programs to trumpet a recruitment message to the women executives of the future. Mere political correctness? No. To coin a phrase, ‘diversity is not politically correct; it is profitable’.
To meet this demand, and to get career-minded women MBAs in touch with the world’s big recruiting businesses, QS have created Women in Leadership Forums. These take place in key business centres around the world. They began as a London-based initiative but have now spread to Paris, Moscow, Frankfurt, London and New York. The growth of these events, attended by some of the world’s biggest companies such as Proctor and Gamble, KPMG and Morgan Stanley, is another example of how diversity recruitment has risen up the agenda of major companies in recent years.
QS Women in Leadership Forums address key questions and provide excellent networking opportunities. In London last year the theme was, “Having it all: Is it really possible?” Talented women seem to be discovering that, with good planning and support, they may not have to choose between family and career, but that it is possible to have both.
For details of Women In Leadership forums near you, visit www.qsforums.com.