The prospect of increasing earnings potential is a key factor that draws people to business school. For the most part, female and male graduates holding MBAs see a bump up in salary right after receiving the degree. But gender gaps in salary and promotion soon set in and widen within a few years of graduation, especially for women of color.
Women who secure MBAs still trail White men in almost every measure during their careers, according to the latest research from the Forté Foundation, a nonprofit advocacy organization that works with business schools to help more women gain MBAs. In a report based on a survey of about 1,500 MBA graduates from 60 programs in the US, Canada and Europe, Forté’s research has found that when it comes to pay, promotions, the number of direct reports and levels of responsibility, men continue to outpace women as their careers advance.
“No matter where we looked, women are always behind men,” says Elissa Sangster, the chief executive officer of Forté. “And under-represented minority women were even further behind all of them.”
