Business schools are inching towards gender parity in MBA enrolments. According to the Forté Foundation — a non-profit focused on increasing the number of women in leadership through access to business education — eight of its 61 member schools reached gender balance among full-time MBA students in 2024. Only one had done so in 2020. Women now constitute 42 per cent of MBA students globally, up from 28 per cent a decade ago.
But what are business schools doing to help women after they graduate? The networking opportunities provided by alumni associations are an important part of the MBA offering. Ranging from educational seminars and panel discussions to hikes, sporting events, dinners, happy hours, and volunteering days, these events are evolving to meet a range of needs.
However, a recent research paper, How Women Can Build High-Status Networks, published in Harvard Business Review and the Academy of Management Journal, argued that women’s networking needs often differ from men’s.
The authors — Carla Rua-Gomez from Skema Business School in France, Gianluca Carnabuci from ESMT Berlin, and Martin Goossen from Old Dominion University in the US — found that traditional networking methods, such as gaining “face time” with senior leaders, often favour men because of gender biases in perceptions of competence and assertiveness.
Women, the researchers found, benefit more from third-party endorsements. The research concluded with a recommendation that organisations establish sponsor programmes of “female triplets”: chains connecting junior, sponsor and senior women, to boost their access to higher level networks.
“It’s difficult to draw simplistic conclusions but I’ve noticed women tend to put a lot of emphasis on creating and nurturing deep network relationships,” says Kathy Harvey, associate dean at Oxford University’s Saïd Business School, which is close to gender parity on its MBA.
“In contrast, I’ve noticed men tend to make connections across a wider spectrum of networks. This might mean they’re not as deep connections, but the breadth of connection points can be an advantage when you’re in transitional periods of your career and want a choice of directions to go in,” she adds.
Elissa Sangster, Forté Foundation chief executive, notes that, because business school classmates are often the source of networks, where gender parity exists in MBA programmes, women have a better chance of building broad networks across gender lines, and a supportive, tight circle of women.
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“However, we’ve also noticed that the term ‘networking’ can be off-putting to women MBA alumni,” says Sangster. “They do want to connect, but without the pressure of ‘networking’ in the traditional sense.”
Traditional, “old boy” style networking often involves a bar after work, golf or other activities that may be less appealing to women, who are often juggling more responsibilities at home, says Sangster. “Women need a new style of networking, one that’s more organic and timed differently so they can rely on other support mechanisms to participate.”
At University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, the Women In Leadership Alumnae (WILA) organisation offers members smaller coffee, lunch and dinner events. “We’ve perceived that women tend to prefer networking in smaller forums, where there is an opportunity to have in-depth conversations,” says Abha Bhagat, senior corporate development integration lead at Cisco and WILA co-president.
“We’ve also noticed that, while virtual events have high attendance rates across genders, women — in particular — appreciate the flexibility they offer to balance various commitments,” Bhagat says. “The online format also seems to create a more level playing field for participation than in-person events.”
WILA also provides practical support including childcare during events and targeted programming that addresses specific stages in working life, such as returning from career breaks.
NYU Stern MBA alumna Susan Jurevics is about to test the strengths of her networks as she explores new opportunities after leaving her role as chief brand officer at Audible, at the end of 2024. “In my experience, men appear to focus on concrete goals in perhaps a more transactional exchange, while women can be hesitant to self-promote or ask specifically for what they need,” she says.
In November, the New York University business school launched the Stern Women’s Forum, a multigenerational community of female alumni, enabling them to support one another at different stages of their careers. But, having lived and worked around the world, Jurevics cautions against overlooking nuances across diverse global settings. The individualistic nature of western culture may amplify gender differences in networking compared with other cultures, such as those in, for example, Asian countries, where harmony and collectivism may be more pronounced.
“Alumni organisations need to continue to deepen their understanding of cultural influences, to develop effective and inclusive networking,” says Jurevics, who is a member of the NYU Stern executive board. “They’ll also benefit by continuing to dialogue with women in various geographies, ages and life or career stages to understand their needs and ambitions, and develop initiatives that address these.”
At Iese in Barcelona, projects designed to support networking among women include the Women Executive Club, the Women in Leadership initiative and the Women in Business conference.
“Attracting more women to MBA programmes and recruiting more women faculty will, in the medium term, result in a greater number of women alumni, reducing the need to create specific events or activities to facilitate networking among women,” says Maria Díaz-Morera, president of Iese Alumni Association. “But, beyond that, alumni organisations could consider more events that include the partners or families of alumni, creating opportunities for broader networking among women.”