In a recent special report on women and men applying to U.S. business schools (WSJ, September 21, 2005, p. R5: "Men Do Numbers, Women Do Strategy" by Ronald Alsop) the Wall Street Journal repeated the tried and tired excuses for "why women avoid business schools". Citing Catalyst and the University of Michigan researchers, they argued that women have:

• a small number of female mentors and role models
• concern about balancing work and home life in the corporate world
• little encouragement from employers to secure an M.B.A.

Oh, the poor little dears!

I used to buy those arguments, but not any more. Today, I would argue that there are more than enough role models and support structures and mechanisms in place to help women achieve the success to which they would aspire IF THEY WOULD BUT PURSUE THEM.

If I can find these inspirational women, then other young women can find them and follow their lead as well. In separate blogs and articles on this web site, I have described Female Thought Leaders, Female Writers of Old and of New, and Female Advocates who are re-writing the book on how to get women on corporate boards of directors in Norway. And here, I will add about a half a dozen pages of inspiration from female leaders in Great Britain.

It's time that we, in the United States, take a cold hard look at what WORKS vs. what does NOT WORK in terms of helping women advance to leadership roles. Any maybe we could begin by stop listening to our American Fourth Estate tell us the same old Little Corporate Stepford Wife Message that keeps women silent in the kitchen or in the shoes stores of our local malls. Maybe American women could get out and look at the lessons and opportunities that are being generated by our Sisters Around The World. . . . more

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