MBAs for Women

I was reading some interesting research about women entering business schools for MBAs. Apparently only 30% of entrants are women – compared with 44% of entrants into medical and law schools. This statistic has been static for some years now, so it appears that women entrants have plateaued. However, 95% of women who did enter and took their MBAs were satisfied with the outcomes of their programs.

The study “Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity” from the University of Michigan suggested four reasons women may not pursue MBAs:

• A lack of role models
• Business careers seen as incompatible with work/life balance
• Lack of confidence with math abilities
• Less likely to be encouraged by their employers

How do you defy these statistics?