It is predicted that at some point in the next few months the number of women in the workplace in the United States will, for the first time, rise to more than 50 per cent of the workforce.
In member nations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, about half of all university graduates are women, while growing gender equality in the home and workplace has underscored an increase in the number of women enrolling on MBA programmes in Hong Kong over the past five years, with the proportion now comprising just under half of an average class intake.
The increase in economic and social independence of women has also been partly responsible for the rise in women numbers on MBA programmes here.
Part-time MBAs have emerged as the perennial favourite for most women applicants who, needing to juggle career commitments and family obligations, find the flexible format of block teaching and the choice of weekend or weekday study more suitable.
The proportion of women on the MBA in international management run by the University of Hong Kong's School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU Space), in collaboration with the School of Management, Royal Holloway, University of London, has, for example, reached about 60 per cent since its launch in 2001, due partly to its self-paced design. Students can choose to complete the programme in between two to five years.
'Women these days are more assertive and ambitious. They are not as tied down by family commitments and recognise the importance of international exposure in order to progress in their careers. They consider an MBA a worthwhile investment,' says Dr Chris Chan, assistant dean of HKU's MBA programme, noting women have recently comprised 45 per cent of its part-time MBA class.