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| Women and B-School: Opportunity-Progress | The dilemma is whether you should get an MBA. The truth is, specific companies will not even consider you if you don't have one. Most business leaders today see the MBA as a practical and powerful means of gaining access to the highest levels in the corporate universe.
Education is the foundation for your career, helping you to develop problem-solving skills and/or technical expertise. A specialty degree in your particular field will not only increase your knowledge, it will also make you stand out from the pack.
In top MBA programs the number of women significantly lags behind men, with women typically accounting for about 30 percent of enrollment. While this is a symbol of a marked increase over the last 25 to 30 years, it is a proportion that significantly trails the percentage of women in top medical and law schools. These circumstances draw attention to dramatic untapped opportunity for women, businesses, and the global economy.
Women decided to get an MBA are overwhelmingly satisfied with the business school experience. Both women and men report extremely high levels of satisfaction with their careers as a whole: 86 percent of women and 89 percent of men are very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their careers overall.
Besides, they report high levels of satisfaction with the value their current employers put on their MBA (85 percent of women and 83 percent of men), as well as with job opportunities in their industry (77 percent of women and 78 percent of men), and with their current positions overall (82 percent of women and 84 percent of men).
Even though having an MBA sets you apart, there are still barriers to advancement that women often face in corporations and firms. What keeps on holding women back from reaching the top spots in corporate America? Look through the top five barriers:
• Lack of significant general management/ line experience
• Exclusion from informal networks
• Stereotyping and preconceptions of women's roles and abilities
• Failure of senior leadership to assume accountability for women's advancement
• Commitment to personal/family responsibilities
Here is a Catalyst's Eight Axioms for Advancement:
1) The best isn't good enough
Successful women time and again tell Catalyst that performing beyond expectations is critical for advancement. By frequently impressing people with outstanding results, you will gain the recognition, respect, and credibility needed to succeed.
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