Gender and the MBA

We argue that while the male to female ratio in business school has not changed drastically, the mind-set in relation to gender has shifted in significant ways. Our study examines how MBA students talk about gender. We identify two main discursive repertoires that students use to make sense of gender. The first centers on accepting the status quo as "the way the world is," and the second insists that gender does not matter. We argue that a post feminist climate is operating in management education, so that gender is no longer seen as salient, even while it continues to shape the culture in significant ways. In this context, the gender culture in business schools can only be changed by adopting more subtle strategies for challenging the masculine norms that persist in spite of gender's "disappearance."