Education makes one socially fit while professional education makes one socially as well as economically fit. In the present context, the latter one sounds more practical and imperative to eradicate socio-economic disparity from the society and uplifting the better-half of the society-women. Regarding this a lot has been done in the past and lot is still needed. As a reward of the past efforts, today, girls are performing better than boys in all the leading educational boards of India at the school level.
Also, their performance is commendable in most of the bachelor's and postgraduate programmes, including MBA, but their presence is far below the mean in the corporate circuits. Moreover, a majority of working women leaves their jobs even before reaching the pinnacle of their career, and many are deprived of the positions they deserve to hold. According to the 2016 Fortune 500 list, women just occupy a mere 4.2 percent positions as CEOs in America's top 500 companies.
Equity in College Campus But not in Corporate Corridors
Feminism, equality, and empowerment are the buzzwords for international media, and many motivational leaders claim that women are better managers than men. But, statistics, the sheer paradox doesn't echo with the headlines in media and quotes of inspirational leaders. Be it the campus placement, salary package or the annual appraisal, women play second fiddle at almost every stage. These experiences compel to think that conventional MBA programmes are somehow failed to produce the kind of female managers that are sought-after by a majority of blue-chip companies.
Despite giving best results in schools and colleges, and despite getting the attention of the recruiters during campus placements, why women lag behind in the professional world? It means, women have potential to excel, but there are some lacunae in the grooming processes of the educational institutions that are failed to arm them with right weapons. Hence, besides equipping them with needful tools of knowledge and skills, management colleges must pay special attention to transform the overall personalities of aspiring women business leaders.
Situation Demands a Change in Course
Curriculum plays a crucial role in building the desired personality of the students. In fact, as male domination is inherited in most of the business activities since time immemorial, the development of course modules in line with the patriarchal values seem rather evident. Unlike conventional management programmes, there must be a pluridisciplinary curriculum with diverse modules in management, liberal arts, communication skills and leadership for a women-centric MBA and adequate focus must be given to teaching them subjects like politics, sociology, and history.
Because the inclusion of these subjects ensures the 360-degree development of a person, which is the foremost demand of present times employers. Moreover, thorough placement support to enabling her of choosing a career of distinction based on her interests and skill set should be the parallel focus of an institution. Further, to make the things practically more viable, industry leaders and academicians must unearth those challenges and problems that women executives encounter relatively more frequently than men.
By Kuldeep Surolia
Kuldeep Surolia, Director (Academics) at Sorsfort wears multiple hats; a teacher, academician, writer, speaker, Educationist and visionary with several decades of global experience. He is the recipient of various prestigious awards like Konark, Zee Quiz, Education Excellence award to name few. An expert on various subjects, he is a firm believer of holistic (360-degree) education to a child covering Body, Mind, and Soul.
