Shattering the Glass Ceiling

By Dr. Kimberly Killmer Hollister

I am fortunate. Throughout my formative years and beyond, my support system gave me the confidence to set my goals and the encouragement to achieve them. I have come to believe that we need to provide more young women with strong mentors and role models. My advice to any woman who is hesitant to pursue an MBA or other technical degree is to change her view of the "glass ceiling." View it as a breakable obstacle, not an impermeable barrier.

Fourteen years ago was the first time in my life I realized that, at first glance, some people do not see women as capable as men. I was preparing to leave the University of Pennsylvania with my BSE in systems engineering and had requested letters of recommendation for graduate school from a few of my professors. While all the letters were very positive, one contained a phrase I remember quite clearly: "Although she was the woman in the group, it was Kimberly who took the lead role." I laughed. What does being a woman have to do with it? I thought. Until that moment, I never thought it was out of the ordinary that I was graduating with a degree in engineering. I knew I was one of six women of about 60 students in my major, but I didn’t think about the gender issue; I was merely achieving a personal goal.

My interest in math and engineering was always present. As the daughter of a math teacher and a systems analyst, math, technology and the importance of education were always part of my life. One early toy of mine was the "Little Profes-sor" electronic game that asked math questions.  My role models were varied--an engineer, a nurse, an attorney, a Realtor, an economist, many teachers, a coach, a sales representative, many executives--but they were never thought of with a gender description. I was reared in an environment where you learned that with enough effort, you can achieve any goal. I never realized how lucky I was to be essentially blind to gender stereotypes.

Numerous articles have been written about increasing the representation of women in MBA programs. This past summer, CNN once again explored this issue. They cited well-documented statistics that, while women make up more than 50 percent of the population, they are significantly under-represented in MBA programs--on average, about 30 percent of the students. Other professional programs do not have the same problems; medical and law schools have ratios approaching 50/50. Why this discrepancy?

Catalyst’s 2000 Study, Women and the MBA: Gateway to Opportunity, reports that 95 percent of both men and women MBA graduates feel that earning their degree was worthwhile. In the survey, women graduates cited several barriers they believe deter women from pursuing an MBA:

• lack of female role models (56 percent)
• incompatibility of careers in business with work/life balance (47 percent)
• lack of confidence in math skills (45 percent)
• lack of encouragement by employer (42 percent)

The bottom line is that women who pursue the MBA degree are highly satisfied, but few women are enrolling in these programs. How can we move toward closing this gap?

The ratio of women enrolled in the MBA program at Montclair State-- 40/60--is higher than the national average, and the percentage of women here has been growing over the past 10 years. Our undergraduate business degree has equal numbers of women and men. How has our MBA program created an environment that encourages more women to pursue their degree?

The part-time format, with both evening and Saturday classes, helps with the problem of balancing work, school and family. Scheduling flexibility, credit for advanced standing if a student has a strong undergraduate record in business courses and a wide range of concentrations--all these things probably have helped make the MSU MBA a more feasible choice for young women with professional careers in mind.

Montclair State and the School of Business (SBUS) also aggressively recruit women faculty. Women account for 28 percent of the SBUS faculty, and about 40 percent of the new hires over that past six years. The Department of Accounting, Law and Taxation now has an equal number of men and women on its full-time faculty. Women also are among the senior faculty in most SBUS departments. This has helped to create strong role models for both current undergraduates and prospective MBA students.

But this is not enough to eliminate the gap; businesses, alumni and society in general need to join with the University to increase the number of women pursuing the MBA degree. Businesses should encourage women to attend, and alumnae need to share their positive MBA experiences, especially concerning the balance of professional and personal life. But we cannot just start with women with undergraduate degrees. As a society, we must encourage girls to enjoy math, science and technology at an early age, and nurture this interest through high school and college. Unfortunately, some girls are still put on a different path early in their school years--even those who show an aptitude for these subjects.

Dr. Kimberly Killmer Hollister is an associate professor of management and information systems in SBUS. Hollister’s research has been published in many academic journals. Her current research focuses on program and course specific assessment. Every day she looks forward to spending time with her family; her husband and children, ages 23 months and nine months.