{"id":39323,"date":"2017-04-28T04:03:19","date_gmt":"2017-04-28T11:03:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/2017\/04\/how-to-get-more-women-in-mba-programs-2\/"},"modified":"2017-04-28T04:03:19","modified_gmt":"2017-04-28T11:03:19","slug":"how-to-get-more-women-in-mba-programs-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/how-to-get-more-women-in-mba-programs-2\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Get More Women In MBA Programs"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"women<\/a><\/figure>\n

The trends hold true in both the C-Suite<\/a> and business school \u2014 there still aren\u2019t enough women.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why MBA programs<\/a> are scrambling to attract more female candidates and searching for more effective ways to do it. Efforts to attract high-caliber candidates include adapting to the unique needs of applicants \u2014 like waiving the GMAT<\/a> for those with the right professional experience \u2014 and providing flexible options, like online MBA programs. In fact, according to the 2016 global admissions survey<\/a> by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC), applications to these types of programs continue to grow year after year.<\/p>\n

For both business schools and the corporate world, it\u2019s increasingly clear that more women are needed \u2014 and here we\u2019ll look at the why and how of achieving that goal.<\/p>\n

Why should more women be going to business school?<\/h3>\n

There are many reasons to promote women in the corporate world \u2014 including their effectiveness as leaders and ability to help boost the bottom line. In a 2011-2012 study<\/a> of nearly 16,000 leaders, women outpaced men in overall effectiveness and a wide range of leadership competencies. In fact, researchers found that \u201cas women move up the ladder in an organization, the higher they move, the more positively they are perceived.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to being effective leaders, companies with female leaders often enjoy higher margins. According to a recent study by the Peterson Institute of International Economics<\/a> of nearly 22,000 firms globally, those that had more women in multiple high-level leadership positions also enjoyed more profits.<\/p>\n

In an article for Harvard Business Review, authors Marcos Noland and Tyler Moran say that, \u201cWhen we examined the profitable firms in our sample (average net margin of 6.4%), we found that going from having no women in corporate leadership (the CEO, the board, and other C-suite positions) to a 30% female share is associated with a one-percentage-point increase in net margin \u2014 which translates to a 15% increase in profitability for a typical firm.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

>>> Recommended Reading:\u00a0Women Discuss Their Experiences In B-School<\/a><\/p>\n

\n

How to help more women get in\u00a0MBA programs<\/h3>\n

According to two recent GMAC employer surveys<\/a>, many companies globally are focusing on diversity initiatives \u2014 with the most effort being geared toward women. GMAC says that the specific steps taken by these companies have been effective, and that business schools can learn from them: \u201cGMAC\u2019s General Population Employer Study findings should resonate with business schools determined to expand their appeal to women and underrepresented ethnic and racial populations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The organization recommends a collaborative approach to enhance engagement with prospective female business school candidates:<\/p>\n