Exploring how male and female students’ programme expectations, experiences and aspirations differ, based on an exclusive examination of new AMBA & BGA research. By Tim Banerjee Dhoul , with additional data analysis provided by Ellen Buchan
A n analysis of how motivations and programme experiences differ between male and female students has much to reveal, based on the results of the AMBA & BGA Student Survey 2023: Aspirations & Programme Experiences . Not only do female students have differing ambitions going into their programme of study, but their level of interest in critical programme aspects, such as career development opportunities and course subjects, also varies significantly from those of their male classmates. The findings of this deep dive offer potential avenues of exploration for any business school looking to tweak their offerings to maximise what female students take from their studies and reviewing how their programmes are presented to potential applicants. Produced independently of the AMBA & BGA Student Survey 2023 , it draws from the report’s survey of 544 students representing 94 different countries who are enrolled with institutions in the AMBA and BGA networks around the world. Among this number, 88 per cent are master’s-level students, with the remaining 12 per cent split equally between undergraduate and PhD students. The gender distribution of these participants is 63 per cent male and 36 per cent female – a split that is very typical of MBA-level programmes – with one per cent preferring not to disclose their gender.
Why business school? Differences between men and women appear at the very inception of the decision to go to business school. While making more money is an important factor for both sexes, men are noticeably more likely to be looking at the short-term pay off. A total of 12 per cent of men cite this as a reason for enrolling, as opposed to eight per cent of women. Conversely, a higher proportion of women look at the long-term financial return on investment (44 per cent vs 38 per cent). Women are also much more likely to want to build their confidence by taking a business degree – 45 per cent of female respondents cite this as a primary motivation, compared to just 30 per cent of male respondents. Women show greater interest in boosting their international mobility, too – 52 per cent of female students say this is a reason behind their decision to enrol, but the same is true for only 38 per cent of male students. Where we see far greater gender equality is in the more general motivation of learning more skills and acquiring greater business knowledge – 67 per cent of men and 66 per cent of women cite this reason. Similarly, learning how to run a more profitable business is an underlying motivation for 24 per cent
of both male and female respondents. Greater interest in initial salary rise among men
The question of salary also provokes differing views among male and female students at the point of
14 Business Impact • ISSUE 4 • 2023
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