Women have outnumbered men on college campuses since the late 1970s, and now female students make up about 6 in 10 undergraduate students.
While this is not the case for business schools, where male students are still a majority, women are making steady inroads in MBA programs, says Stephanie Bryant, chief accreditation officer at the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
“Women have really claimed their rightful place,” she says, pointing to AACSB data showing a steady uptick in female enrollment in MBA programs. In the 2022-2023 academic year, women made up 46% of students enrolled in U.S. MBA programs, up from 43% in 2018-2019. Globally, women were 44% of enrolled students in 2022-2023, up from 42% in 2018-2019.
Although gender discrimination has historically been a barrier for women wanting to pursue business education, Bryant says, women interested in applying to business school should not feel discouraged. They should be prepared to advocate for themselves and their interests throughout the application process, experts say.
Consider asking the following questions to gauge whether a program is welcoming to female MBA students.
What Kind of Community Does The Program Foster for Women?
Community support is crucial for building confidence — something women struggle with in business school, experts say.
“You take almost any MBA classroom, and the men are much more vocal than the women,” says Ann Harrison, dean of the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley. “I see it everywhere, except maybe in women-only settings.”
This is why it’s so important for women to connect over their shared experiences in MBA programs, experts say.
[READ: What an MBA Degree Is and What You Need to Know.]
Claudia Viña Vázquez, a full-time MBA student at Haas and president of the school’s MBA student government, says the program’s inclusive and supportive culture has been instrumental in her pursuing a leadership position.
“My experience in business school has been overwhelmingly positive,” she says. “I haven’t encountered gender-related challenges, feeling fully seen, heard and supported by my peers.”
Women should support one another in and outside of the classroom, Harrison says. They can connect in various ways, including classroom discussions, student organizations and networking events.
“We have to be willing to extend ourselves,” Bryant says of female faculty and students. She emphasizes the importance of reaching out to unfamiliar faces and striving to make others feel supported and comfortable in professional settings.
Schools should facilitate these connections through dedicated spaces, organizations and clubs that cater to women and their allies.
“The absence of initiatives or clubs led by and for women might signal insufficient support mechanisms for female students,” Viña Vázquez says. Haas, for example, has a Women in Leadership group accessible to all students, regardless of gender. Haas has also partnered with Forté, a foundation that hosts leadership events and networking opportunities for women in business.
How Are Conversations Carried Out in the Classroom?
Women should be aware of their own tendencies to quiet down in the classroom, Harrison says. “Every time you’re in a group setting, force yourself to speak out.”
Professors can help by mediating classroom discussion. Research suggests that women might take longer to raise their hands because they tend to think more carefully about a question before answering, and professors and faculty are taking note of this.
[READ: 3 Factors to Help Find the MBA Program That’s Right for You.]
“There’s a similar rule that we learn as professors, which is ‘Don’t call on the first people who raise their hand,'” Harrison says. “Wait a while, because women will take longer to raise their hands.”
Sometimes, intervention is necessary. Harrison will appeal to the women in her classes when she notices these patterns. “I will stand up and complain. I’ll say, ‘What is going on here, guys? I need to hear from you.'”
What Percentage of Women Make up the Faculty and Leadership?
It’s uplifting for members of minority groups to see people who look like them in positions of power, Bryant says. Throughout her career, she has practiced what she calls “girl-whispering” — making efforts to build confidence in girls and young women.
“It matters when women who have achieved some level of success in life look back at the young people and say, ‘you too can do this — and here’s how,'” she says.
According to AACSB data, women make up more than 30% of business school deanships — up from 17% in 2008-09 — and continue to increasingly occupy positions of power in academia.
“The other thing that I’ve really pushed hard is I really think it’s important to see women professors in the classroom,” Harrison says. “Seventy percent of the new professors we’ve hired in the last five years have been women.”
It is becoming standard practice for universities to put women in positions of power, even in paths of study where women have had little representation. Viña Vázquez says a noticeable lack of diversity within the faculty and student body could reflect on an MBA program’s inclusivity.
[Read: See Which MBA Programs Lead to the Best Return on Investment.]
Does The Program Accommodate Students’ Nonacademic Responsibilities?
“I think schools as a whole are recognizing that we have to speak to the whole person,” Bryant says. “It’s not just about getting students through to graduation, it’s about making sure that their needs are met.”
Despite the continued rise of women in higher education and the workforce, Bryant says her experience is that they still bear a bigger burden when it comes to familial responsibilities. “There’s pressure to get good grades, and there’s pressure to caretake.”
Students with family or other outside responsibilities should look for programs that actively foster a culture of understanding and will be sensitive to each student’s circumstances, experts say.
When talking with B-school administrators and faculty, female MBA applicants should “listen with very sharp ears, listen to their choice of words,” Bryant says. “How do you feel? How are they treating you? How are they respecting you?”
Ultimately, experts say, you will know deep down if a program is right for you.
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Questions Women Should Ask When Applying to MBA Programs originally appeared on usnews.com
