Gender and specialty in business management education
Undergraduate university enrolment in Canada is characterized by a higher
proportion of women to men, with a pattern of gender segregation across
some disciplines. Within some disciplines, there is also a pattern of internal
sex segregation whereby women and men still sort themselves into gendered
sub-fields, a pattern that is particularly evident in undergraduate business
management programs. This study set out to understand why this segregation
occurs. The study found that men and women use the same criteria in
selecting a business major, including beliefs about success and fit, as well as
advice from referent others. However, they attach different weight to these
factors in a pattern that is gendered.