Globally, women have been demanding for equality in female intakes in colleges and universities. London Business School (LBS), in a quest to solve this problem, has decided to implement a 51 percent female intake for its graduate programs, a project which the school admits will be tough but necessary.
LBS is in a quest to ensure parity in its enrollment programs. The institution, which has a campus in Dubai has emphasized its commitment to providing opportunities to women through education. Its dean, François Ortalo-Magné, is quoted during an interview with gulf news as saying that they have put measures to ensure that they achieve this goal.
Ortalo-Magné could not hide his optimism towards what the future holds for women’s equality. Although he admitted to realizing that there is still a lot of work to be done to address these inequalities, he is confident that the wind of change is moving in the right direction globally.
Efforts being made to increase female intake
The effort to advance gender parity in LBS has always required multiple stakeholders’ participation. In September, for instance, the Laidlaw Foundation donated £3.69 million. This money will be used in the advancement of women in business. It will help in closing the gender gap in LBS and increase the number of women enrolling in graduate programs in the school.
The ‘Laidlaw Women’s Leadership Fund’ creation underpins LBS commitment in reaching 51% women representation in their intake. It highlights the magnitude the matter is being accorded, with LBS outlining that the plan is to ensure that it attracts women from all backgrounds. They also said that the fund would all also go into helping women from diverse social-economic backgrounds.
20 outstanding female students will be supported each year for a three-year program using the fund. The students who will be eligible for the grant will have the opportunity to pursue a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Executive MBA and Masters in Management programmes.
Ortalo-Magné concluded by saying that there should not be a glass ceiling that limits women into advancing in their carriers. He also said:
The awareness is there. I think there’s still a long way to go before we correct what we’ve created and before women can feel that we’ve leveled the playing field. But it’s a great first step that the awareness is there.
He noted that the programs, such as the one being implemented by LBS, are necessary and genuine efforts are being made by many organizations, including the school, to address this issue.
