Each year, on March 8, women’s day is celebrated around the world. At IMD we had different spaces to reflect on women’s role in business and society and the challenges they face on a daily basis.
During a panel discussion, three IMD Alumnae shared their paths with us. These successful leaders overcame the unfavorable situations established around work environments by archaic mindsets. They were able to balance their private and professional lives, even when their families became bigger. These women gave us tips on how to tackle gender stereotypes in workplaces. They also gave us hope, because even though there are a lot of issues that still need to be addressed before gender equality can be achieved everywhere, they have seen important changes in the last decade.
When one of the Alumna was doing her MBA, there were eight female participants in the class, including her. In our class, there are 30 female participants. Our Dean expressed that is the largest participation so far of women in IMD’s MBA, but that it is still not enough.
As MBA participants, we can see the benefits of work and study with our woman colleagues. Their backgrounds vary from doctors to CFAs, providing impressive knowledge about any field. They have worked in all types of industries around the world from Information Technology to Education, and their experience gives our class an accurate insight into the intricates of each industry. They have achieved prominent positions in their careers, and now they have leading roles in the program such as Ombudsperson and Head of the Sustainability Committee.
We have many reasons to celebrate and be grateful for what our colleagues bring to our class and to our lives. For this reason, as a symbolic gesture we made a donation to “Terre des Femmes”, which fights against human rights violations on women and girls, and we committed to being a part of the change and strive for gender equality whenever and wherever we are.
