Gender Bias in MBA Admissions

[trakesht]

Originally Posted by sandeepr

Well.. Well.. A hotrod topic for sure..

But unfortunately, what my PERSONAL experience has taught me is that these very girls who do a top MBA or for that matter even an MBBS/MTECH from elite institutions tend to waste such an education by NOT working!!

I know quite a few girls who have unashamedly told me that the very reason they do this course is to improve their prospects for a NRI groom!!

Take for example what happened in a top bschool. (I know this source very well) 4 girls were offered a TOP post based in NY for a HUGE dollar pay.. And all the girls refused.. Reason?? Marriage!! And now the company has refused to come to the college..

This is OUTRAGEOUS!! There are ppl for whom every dollar more means less pain and more economic freedom.. And then there are girls who go to do their MBBS.. My neighbour did her MBBS and the nxt month after completion promptly left for the UK, happily married.. Shez now just a glorified housewife..

My question would be , why not??
Why cant they do an MBA to have a better (perceived) social life and life partner?
Isnt this goal as valid as some of the common reasons like wanting to escape the monotony of earlier job/ gaining international exposure/ more money?

As for me, I am a guy who is all in favor of more gals even if it slightly affects my prospects!

[esjay]

My two pence on that:

Firstly the point that girls soon after completing their MBA, get married to NRI's become housewive and blah blah is not valid here. No institute would take up someone who has ulterior motives from the MBA degree. They simply take things on face value. Girls manage to justify their decision in the interview panel and that's it. But isn't this what we do all the time. Before taking up a job we make all sorts of commitments though we all do have ulterior motives behind it. If we'll analyse the losses Indian companies bear because of attritions...its enormous. Now if that is not criminal then nothing is.

Secondly regarding MBA colleges being more inclined to take a female candidate over a male one is actually a result of unholistic (what's the opp of holistic) veiw of looking at things. Now an MBA insti would always prefer to keep a good male and female ratio while keeping up with its standards. However this task itself becomes immensly difficult because of the social structure of our country. Further they cannot make it a policy (giving preference to girls etc) as it would lead to a huge uproar. The best they can do is convey their intentions through media in a politically correct manner. That's why we hear so many times stuffs like "We like to maintain a healthy male/female ratio". these are subtle hints that in case of a tie the female candidate might get the preference. we judge the admission procedures based on the policies declared by the Insti. What we dont see is the bigger picture and the subtle hints. Hence the accusation is not justified.

cheers

[sandeepr]

Well, let me put it straight.. Personally i DONT believe that a bias favouring girls is a everyday thing in bschools. Maybe thay do take a few that way to enhance batch diversity, which is a good thing anyway.

Also those girls must have talent and will have been atleast academically at par with their fellow batch mates.. So there's nothing wrong in a slight bias towards girls..

My ONLY bone of contention is that the girls dont make use of such an opportunity.. And that is something which is akin to a crime in INDIA.. Where competition is so intense.. because for many its a battle for survival..

If this was the case in any other rich nation i wouldnt have minded.. Or for that matter, i have no reason to..

[alagati]

Originally Posted by sandeepr

Well, let me put it straight.. Personally i DONT believe that a bias favouring girls is a everyday thing in bschools. Maybe thay do take a few that way to enhance batch diversity, which is a good thing anyway.

Also those girls must have talent and will have been atleast academically at par with their fellow batch mates.. So there's nothing wrong in a slight bias towards girls..

My ONLY bone of contention is that the girls dont make use of such an opportunity.. And that is something which is akin to a crime in INDIA.. Where competition is so intense.. because for many its a battle for survival..

If this was the case in any other rich nation i wouldnt have minded.. Or for that matter, i have no reason to..

As pointed by Pooja, its an individual's choice whether to make use of an opportunity or not...and frankly speaking, priorities differ..maybe we think its more imp for an MBA grad girl to work, but for her, a family life and kids may be more important...I think it is highly snobbish of us to comment on which is more imp as its an individual's choice which has to be respected..!!

After all, managing a home with kids is a far more tougher job than analyzing excel sheets...!!!

No offence meant to anyone here..!!

[sandeepr]

Originally Posted by alagati

As pointed by Pooja, its an individual's choice whether to make use of an opportunity or not...and frankly speaking, priorities differ..maybe we think its more imp for an MBA grad girl to work, but for her, a family life and kids may be more important...I think it is highly snobbish of us to comment on which is more imp as its an individual's choice which has to be respected..!!

After all, managing a home with kids is a far more tougher job than analyzing excel sheets...!!!

No offence meant to anyone here..!!

Ok.. Just imagine this situation.. A guy struggling hard to provide a good living for his family VS a girl whose aim is to get into a top school for furthering her social life...

And i reiterate that NOT ALL girls are like this.. There are very MANY deserving girls and I truly respect them for what they are..

But the case im putting out is a situation when a really needy guy gets left out to a girl who has no intention of capitalizing on the education provided..

[alagati]

Originally Posted by sandeepr

Ok.. Just imagine this situation.. A guy struggling hard to provide a good living for his family VS a girl whose aim is to get into a top school for furthering her social life...

And i reiterate that NOT ALL girls are like this.. There are very MANY deserving girls and I truly respect them for what they are..

But the case im putting out is a situation when a really needy guy gets left out to a girl who has no intention of capitalizing on the education provided..

Buddy, I respect the sentiment, but I guess we are now treading more n more towards reservations kinda debate...with poverty in picture..!!

All, I can say in defence of that girl is, she did not choose to be born upper class or rich....as for furthering social life, if she makes a blind decision based on money and status, then her future shall look bleaker than the poor guy you mentioned..!!

I guess we all learn to live with what we have in our lives...thats the mantra of life...I think the other perspective is very often parents cant afford the high MBA fees for a girl child in case there are other 2 sons also studying....they would prefer for her to get married..!! I dont want to portray myself as old society but thats a reality in many 2 tier cities..!!!

I believe, more than the reputed colleges, all B schools in the 2 n 3 tier cities should also "prefer" a certain amount of girls..!!

[esjay]

Originally Posted by sandeepr

Well, let me put it straight..

My ONLY bone of contention is that the girls dont make use of such an opportunity..

Sez who??? My sister is an MBA, happily married and working She infact is planning to pursue some additional professional courses to help her career prospects. Most of the girls with MBA I have come across have continued with their jobs after marriage. Now regarding those who quit job and become housewives would either way, MBA or no MBA, take up that path. Does that mean all their education is wasted???

And that is something which is akin to a crime in INDIA.. Where competition is so intense.. because for many its a battle for survival..

If this was the case in any other rich nation i wouldnt have minded.. Or for that matter, i have no reason to..

Since when MBA has become a question of survival??? Maybe emotionally yes, but I can assure you a non MBA can survive pretty well and live a happy life forever even in a poor country like India.

[esjay]

Originally Posted by sandeepr

Ok.. Just imagine this situation.. A guy struggling hard to provide a good living for his family VS a girl whose aim is to get into a top school for furthering her social life...

Lets analyse how much it takes to even in trying to pursue an MBA dream:
Coaching Insti: 30K
MBA Apllications: 10K (assuming one applies to 10 colleges @1000 bucks per aplli)
Suppose he converts it:
MBA fees: 5 Lacs
That means nearly 5.5 lacs ready cash out of his bank in three years with no alternative source of earning. Now how many guys who in the situation you mentioned would go for an MBA. This is a sad but true MBA is an option only for the decently well off upper middle class junta. Others simply find their their own ways to survive.