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Are post-grads empowered?
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Whether as managers in large corporations or entrepreneurs in their own companies, female business leaders are succeeding at an unprecedented pace
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CAREER CORNER Work-life balance is not a new problem for women Photo: K. Murali Kumar
The percentage of women-owned businesses has increased in the last decade, as more and more women entrepreneurs find access to capital and markets for their goods and ideas. There still remain troubling issues that affect more women than men. Why are there so few women running high-tech companies? And why do fewer women attend graduate business programmes today than did ten years ago?
The McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin, in cooperation with the Bureau of Business Research, sponsored the Women in Business Leadership Conference for currently enrolled and prospective MBA students in February 2002, to explore these and other issues facing the women business leaders of tomorrow. In addition, mentoring is considered an important factor in encouraging younger women to advance in corporate or entrepreneurial pursuits.
A mentoring relationship helps a "mentoree" develop visions of herself and her capabilities. This applies, of course, to men as well as women, and the experts at the conference noted that a majority of successful CEOs of both genders have mentors to whom they can turn for subject matter expertise and advice, objective criticism, and encouragement.
As we all know, gender differences stem from nurture and nature alike. It's not only socialisation that shapes men and women. It's also biology. In today's workplace, when employees juggle multiple jobs, and technology enables even the smallest businesses to compete in global marketplaces, the ability to make staff feel charged up and valued is a definite competitive edge.
Fast pace
Work-life balance is not a new problem for women, but the ever-quickening pace of business today, whether in small companies or large corporations, requires even greater organisation and sacrifice for female business leaders. Job-sharing, maternity (and paternity) leave, and networks of other women in the workplace and in professional organisations can help women navigate the often conflicting demands of motherhood and career. In climbing an organisational ladder dominated by males, women encounters obstacles to the more traditional feminine behaviours and mannerisms to which she may be accustomed. These obstacles may erode her sense of identity, creating difficulties both inside and outside of her work environment. Traditional distinctions between masculine and feminine characteristics still strongly influence expected managerial behaviour.
It is especially important for role models and mentors to encourage young women to enter graduate school and pursue business interests. Studies have linked postgraduate education with advancement in business, showing that about two-thirds of women managers have PG degrees. In addition, fewer women than men pursue college or graduate degrees in science, math, and engineering, fields that are important for starting, or advancing in, a high-tech company. While the causes for this discrepancy are society-wide, experts conclude that much more can be done to encourage young girls to study math and science early in their educations.
MBA programmes could attract more women too, by emphasising career paths outside the corporate environment. More women than men strongly feel that they are not as motivated by money in choosing a career. Perhaps then non-profit organisations and government institutes might prove appealing alternatives to women entering the job market.
LASYA VEMPARALA
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