Business schools are moving towards gender parity in MBA registrations. According to him Forté Foundation -A non -profit organization focused on increasing the number of women in leadership through access to business education: eight of their 61 member schools reached gender balance among full -time MBA students in 2024. Only one He had done it in 2020. Women now constitute 42 percent of MBA students worldwide, compared to 28 percent a decade ago.
But what are business schools doing to help women after graduating? Network opportunities provided by former student associations are an important part of MBA’s offer. From educational seminars and discussion panels to walks, sporting events, dinners, happy hours and days of volunteering, these events are evolving to meet a variety of needs.
However, a recent research work, How women can build high status networksPublished in Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management magazine, he argued that the needs of women’s networks often differ from men.
The authors-carla Rua-Gómez de Skema Business School In France, Gianluca Carnabuci de Esmt Berlinand Martin Goossen of the Old Dominion University in the United States, discovered that traditional network methods, such as winning “time” with superior leaders, often favor men due to gender biases in perceptions of competition and assertiveness .
Women discovered that women benefit more than third -party endorses. The research concluded with a recommendation that organizations establish sponsor programs of “female tricks”: chains that connect Junior, sponsor and senior women, to increase their access to higher level networks.
“It is difficult to draw simplistic conclusions, but I have noticed that women tend to put a lot of emphasis on creating and promoting deep network relationships,” says Kathy Harvey, associate dean of the University of Oxford’s SAïD Business Schoolwhich is close to gender parity in its MBA.
“In contrast, I have noticed that men tend to make connections in a broader spectrum of networks. This could mean that they are not such deep connections, but the amplitude of the connection points can be an advantage when it is in periods of transition of your career and wants you to enter an choice of instructions, ”he adds.
Elissa Sangster, executive director of the Forté Foundation, points out that, because the classmates of business schools are often the source of networks, where gender parity exists in MBA programs, women have a better Opportunity to build broad networks in gender lines and a circle of support and support of women.
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This article is from the MBA Classification Report on February 17
“However, we have also noticed that the term ‘networks’ can be unpleasant for the former women of MBA of women,” says Sangster. “Queren connect, but without the pressure of ‘networks’ in the traditional sense.”
Traditional “old” style networks often involve a bar after work, golf or other activities that can be less attractive to women, which often make juggling with more responsibilities at home, says Sangster. “Women need a new network style, one that is more organic and timed differently so that they can trust other support mechanisms to participate.”
At the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas Business SchoolThe Women in Leadership Student (Wila) organization offers members of the smallest coffee, lunch and dinner. “We have perceived that women tend to prefer the creation of networks in smaller forums, where there is the opportunity to have in -depth conversations,” says Abha Bhagat, leader of Senior Corporate Development Integration in the co -president of Cisco and Wila.
“We have also noticed that, while virtual events have high assistance rates among genres, women, in particular, appreciate the flexibility they offer to balance several commitments,” says Bhagat. “The online format also seems to create a more level playing field for participation than events in person.”
Wila also provides practical support, including child care during events and specific programming that addresses specific stages in working life, such as the return of professional breaks.
NYU Stern The student of MBA, Susan Jurevics, is about to prove the strengths of her networks while exploring new opportunities after leaving her role as a brand director in audible, at the end of 2024. “In my experience, men seem to focus on objectives Concrete in perhaps a more transactional exchange, while women can doubt in promoting or specifically asking what they need, ”she says.
In November, the University School of the University of New York launched the Stern Women’s Forum, a multigenerational community of female students, which allowed them to support each other at different stages of their careers. But, after having lived and worked around the world, Judgs warns against the nuances in various global environments. The individualistic nature of Western culture can amplify gender differences in networks compared to other cultures, such as those of, for example, Asian countries, where harmony and collectivism can be more pronounced.
“Ex -student organizations must continue to deepen their understanding of cultural influences, to develop an effective and inclusive network,” says Jurevics, a member of the Stern Executive Board of the NYU. “They will also benefit from continuing with dialogue with women in several geographies, ages and stages of life or career to understand their needs and ambitions, and develop initiatives that are addressed.”
In IESE in Barcelona, projects designed to support the creation of networks among women include the Women Execution Club, the women’s leadership initiative and the women’s conference in Business.
“Attract more women to MBA programs and recruit more women’s teachers, in the medium term, will result in a greater number of women’s alumni, reducing the need to create specific events or activities to facilitate the creation of networks Among women, “says Maria Díaz-Morera, president of the IESE Student Association. “But, beyond that, former student organizations could consider more events that include former student partners or families, creating opportunities for a broader network among women.”