This blog began with the shock of hearing the President of Harvard University suggest that there might be “innate differences” between men and women that explained why there were fewer women at top levels of math, science and engineering positions in research and academia, January 2005.

What a difference 2.5 years make. Dr. Lawrence Summers was replaced by Drew Gilpin Faust as Harvard President. Jane Mendillo was made CEO of Harvard Management Company in March 2008. Throughout the year, there were countless other comparable naming of outstanding women to leadership positions for which they were all most assuredly qualified.

July 2008, the National Science Institute released a study concluding there are “no differences” between the genders academic performance now that women are taking advanced placement training, getting the requisite education to advance themselves to top leadership positions. More business degrees mean more women in leadership.

Math Scores Show No Gap for Girls, Study Finds

Our research supports this study from the perspective of the progress women are making taking undergraduate and graduate degrees in business and management. In 2005-2006, according to the U.S. Dept. of Education’s National Center for Educational Statistics, women received 49.8% of the degrees conferred in business, management, marketing and related support services at the undergraduate level and 42.9% of the degrees conferred at the graduate level.

In terms of annual headcount, that translates into 158,400 women taking business/management classes in college plus another 62,900 women taking those classes at the graduate level for a total of 221,200 women getting a business education every year.

Almost a quarter of a million young women getting a business education every single year. Stay tuned, Dr. Summers. The best is yet to come.