FEATURE MBA In their book, Why Women Mean Business, Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland point out that corporate culture was developed by men in a different age, with a different family model - a model that falls short for today's women, who demand more flexibility to balance family and work. And, in spite of equal numbers of women entering law schools and landing positions at law firms, a disproportionate number are leaving before making partner. Historically, those who decide to raise a family have not been given the flexibility they need to balance commitments at home and at work. Others leave because they don't see themselves ever fitting in with a business culture that smacks more of the male chauvinism of Mad Men than, say, the female leadership of The Closer. Picking up on this trend of women avoiding or abandoning big business - leading to even fewer role models - journalist Ann Medina, chair of the President's Council, International Women's Forum, suggests, "have you ever thought that No role model is the New role model?"The lack of women in leadership positions might be corporate culture's canary in the coal mine - signaling something wrong in the "air." Lynn Zimmer, executive director of the YWCA of Peterborough,Victoria and Haliburton, dropped out of law school in the 1970s after becoming "totally disillusioned" with the culture at the time. "Things have improved significantly since then," she admits, but she still finds the air more satisfying in the not-for-profit sector. Zimmer had no role model, but has become one herself - a perfect example of what Medina is suggesting. Corporations ought to take notice of this trend - they are missing out on a growing pool of educated, motivated, and influential talent. EVOLUTION, NOT REVOLUTION Dean Ginny Dybenko points out that in order to attract more women MBA students, business schools themselves have become an example of corporate change. Laurier's MBA program and others are hiring more women professors, offering more flexibility in the location
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WOMEN OF INFLUENCE and timing of programs, and even waiving the work experience prerequisite. And it's working, to a degree. Role models are key to getting women interested in the program: Claudette Paquin volunteered at recruitment sessions for Queen's University MBAs, and found the biggest obstacle for women was financial. "I was a good example of that. I was a single mother with two girls going to university, and had no money - but I did it, and I could tell them how." Dybenko also underlines the value of first-hand advice: "We run one information session after another where we bring women MBA alumnae out on stage to tell how they didn't think they could do it, and then talk about how they did." As a mother, Dybenko is a perfect role model herself that women can have a family, take an MBA, and be successful in business. Business schools can only do so much to increase female MBA enrollment.Women still need to be convinced that a career in business will fit with their personal and professional goals. Corporations need to demonstrate they are willing to better accommodate women's needs - and all the things that implies - in order to attract and retain the best talent.Those that don't, may do so at their own peril. The Gender Gap report's co-author, Saadia Zahidi, states a simple truth: "Women account for one-half of the potential talent base throughout the world and therefore, over time, a nation's competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilizes its female talent." STORY LINKS: Corporate Gender Gap 2010 Report,World Economic Forum http://www.weforum.org/ Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity, Catalyst and University of Michigan http://www.catalyst.org/publication/86/women-andthe-mba-gateway-to-opportunity Why Women Mean Business, by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland http://www.whywomenmeanbusiness.com/
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