B-Schools Are Trying To Fix The Gender Gap In Their Classrooms

B-schools are trying to fix the gender gap in their classrooms.

- Sonal Khetarpal

In S. P. Jain Institute of Management & Research’s (SPJIMR’s) two-year full-time Post Graduate Diploma in Management (PGDM) programme, women comprise 41 per cent of the class of 2020. The B-school’s gender diversity has always been exceptional, especially when compared to the global counterparts. In 2015, it was 35 per cent. According to the accreditation agency AACSB International’s Business School Data Guide, 39 per cent women got management degrees globally in 2017/18.

“We don’t do anything special to attract women. The admission process is designed to look at a student holistically, irrespective of his or her academic background, to provide equal opportunity to all. Perhaps that works,” says Ranjan Banerjee, Dean of SPJIMR, Mumbai.

SPJIMR, ever since it became autonomous in 1993, has admitted candidates on basis of profile-based short-listing. “The quality of a candidate can’t be assessed just from their entrance scores,” says Bindu Kulkarni, Associate Programme Head of PGDM at SPJIMR. She says candidates are initially shortlisted on the basis of their profile which includes not just the entranc test score but also elements such as work experience, academic performance, versatility and achievements (including co-curricular activities). They have two rounds of group interviews where they assess the candidate’s conceptual and functional knowledge along with attitude and values. “Two rounds ensure wider participation in stage one, increasing the pool of candidates we evaluate for the final selection,” says Kulkarni. To ensure fair selection, the school ensures that the pool of faculty is also diverse – half the lecturers in SPJIMR are women.