Why aren't more women pursuing business careers?

“The proportion of female students enrolled in B-school hovers around just 35 percent. And in top programs, women account for fewer than 1 in 3 students—a proportion that hasn’t budged since the mid-1990s” according to US News.” In a 2000 study by the research organization Catalyst and the University of Michigan Business School, 45 percent of women (and just 19 percent of men) stated that a lack of confidence in their math abilities deterred them from pursuing an M.B.A.

According to research studies about girls and math, the problem may begin at an early age. Girls in elementary school exude confidence in their mathmatical abilities but most of that attitude changes as they progress to the middle school and high school years. A research paper by the American Association of University Women in Washington, D.C. states a girls’ self-esteem, confidence in their abilities, expectations for life, interest in challenging courses and rewarding careers, and pursuits in math and science decline as they get older. In another study published by the Journal of Educational Psychology, girls have lower expectations for themselves in math than boys, and girls believe they do not have mathematical ability. They say when girls do poorly in math, they attribute their poor performance to their inability to do math.

Additionally, a paper presented at the 61st Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development states that middle school students do not recognize the subjects that they must study in order to have specific careers. In a survey of 162 students about their career aspirations and their feelings about sex stereotypes in certain professional fields, students responded that society accepts many different careers for women and men. However, they tended to choose sex-stereotyped careers when filling out the survey.

Yet, there are women with MBA’s who are working at jobs they love and for which they are richly rewarded. If you are a woman with an MBA, what influenced you to pursue a business career despite what studies have shown?

Stipek, Deborah, Granlinski, Heidi, “Gender Differences in Children’s Achievement-Related Beliefs and Emotional Responses to Success and Failure in Mathematics,” Journal of Educational Psychology , v. 83 n. 3 pp. 361-71, September 1991.

American association of University Women, Washington, DC, “Shortchanging Girls, Shortchanging America: A Call to Action.” AAUW Initiative for Educational Equity, American Association of University Women, Washington, DC, 1992.
(To order by mail, write to: American Association of University Women Sales Office, P.O. Box 251, Annapolis Junctions, MD 20701-0251.)

Swetman, Daniel, “Rural Elementary Students’ Attitudes toward Mathematics,” Rural Educator , v. 16 n. 3 pp. 20-22, 31 Spring 1995.

Pettitt, Lisa, “Middle School Students’ Perception of Math and Science Abilities and Related Careers,” paper presented at the 61st Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Indianapolis, IN, March 30-April 2, 1995. (To order by mail, write to: Lisa M. Pettitt, Dept. of Psychology, University of Denver, 2155 South Race St., Denver, CO 80208.)