by: Cecilia Liu
The society has developed in a way that swipes away more and more the differences between men and women, which is one reason why more and more women are stepping out of the traditional roles and showing up in MBA programs and active on the business management stage. On the other hand, women are still shouldering some unique pressures, or even more of them than are men, once they choose to step onto such a competitive career path.
It has to do with the role definition of men and women at work and in personal life. At work, performance measurement for women is no different from for men; actually, diversity and equality at workplace is more of a trend and something good employers have to maintain. On the other hand, women’s share of family responsibilities, in general, have remained larger than the share of men during the course of societal change towards more women participation in management roles. For women in management to deliver an overall increased magnitude of responsibilities from both work and life, and perform well, they need to develop their own strategies, both short-term and long-term.
A few thoughts for those women who are currently contemplating on pursuing an MBA. First, do your due diligence. Conduct your in-depth market research on the functions and industries that you want to focus on for your future career. Make a self-assessment of your past and become able to articulate your strengths and weaknesses and post-MBA career plan. Then come to a clear answer as to why you want to do an MBA at this point in your career. This whole thinking and evaluation process will help you clearly define your goals for pursuing an MBA, go for it for the right reasons, and choose the right school.
Next you need to secure all the supports and resources necessary for you to complete your MBA. Better have the timing work in your favor. If you are in any kind of serious relationship, make sure the other part of the relationship is willing to provide you serious mental and spiritual support for your effort. You also need to plan yourself so that you enjoy sufficient financial capability to sustain the whole MBA program. The more resources and support you have, the better you will be off.
Third, you can count on the fact that you will need very good time and stress management skills to make the most out of your MBA program. So if you already have such skills, start to sharpen them by picking a good book to read, talking to incumbent MBA’s about what an MBA life is like, and getting mentally ready for a big challenge ahead.
Last but not the least, women do face the unique burden of building and raising a family, if they choose to go through that course. No matter this comes before or after the MBA program, the extra work and responsibilities are real and significant. As such, female MBA students had better make good career planning to work around this issue, so that they are not strained when this piece of task has to interrupt you suddenly from your career. Again, timing and social support are the two biggest factors you want to give deep thoughts on.
Your MBA decision is a big one. Make the most out of it. And enjoy it!
Cecilia Liu
MBA Candidate 2008
2 comments:
Great insight!It's great that more and more women are seen in the workforce.Women entrepreneurs are the ultimate multitaskers.It’s never easy to start a business.Women have a hard enough time juggling family life let alone the workforce.For those of you women out there on pursuit of getting their MBAs and starting their careers, I commend you.If you or you know any other women wanting to start a business, a great opportunity is awaiting! There is a great contest going on called “Make Your Dreams Come True with Mirassou”. They will be awarding one aspiring business woman $50,000 plus a team of highly professional consultants to help kick start your business. Visit http://www.mirassou.com/women_in_business/dreams.asp for more info and to enter. The deadline to enter is December 15, 2007. I work with them so just wanted to give you the inside scoop!
Interestingly, the MBA Tour shows that females make up 40-45% of total attendees at their US events but when you look at actual business school registration numbers, the percent drops to 25-35%.
Fortunately, b-schools are recognizing the need the recruit more female MBA candidates. One solution is to recruit them at a younger age. I think this is a great start - and the advice you provide most definitely inspire more women to do this.
The MBA Tour is a great resource for anyone looking to pursue their MBA, or to network. You can learn about various programmes from all over the world, and find one that best suits you. Also, you will be able to speak to one another about your experiences and knowledge.
I think a lot of people at this event would love to hear more about this topic.
We will be in Toronto on November 10.
I hope to see you there,
S
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