The new face of business

Tackling the gender gap in business education

More women in leadership is good business. Research indicates that firms achieve greater innovation and stronger financial performance with more women on their leadership teams, yet women represent only about 15 percent of corporate executives and board members, and only 5 percent of CEOs (CNN Money). According to data collected by Stefanie Johnson, associate professor of organizational leadership at Leeds, there are more CEOs named John than there are number of female CEOs in the S&P 1500.

Business education is essential to preparing more women for leadership roles in firms across the world; however, business programs often struggle to reach 40 percent female enrollment–a challenge that persists despite women outpacing men in higher education programs overall. This reality provides the motivation behind Leeds’ End the Gap Initiative, aimed at reaching 50 percent female enrollment in each of the school’s business programs.

Leeds is tackling the challenge of getting more women into the business leadership pipeline by raising awareness of how a business education can prepare women to succeed in whatever sector they choose to pursue. From the traditional business careers of investment banking, accounting or technology consulting, to early childhood education, the arts or social entrepreneurship, mastering business fundamentals gives women an advantage in any field. Understanding how to keep motivating and organizing employees, diagnosing the demands of a customer, client, or funding organization, and the basics of reading financial statements are examples of universally important skills in every organization.

With these awareness efforts, Leeds aims to get more women in the leadership pipeline by stimulating the demand for business education.