Women at Oxford Saïd

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Creating the climate for change

At Saïd Business School we are committed to increasing women’s influence and impact in the world. We have long promoted female participation across all our programmes, seeing it as a critical way to increase female representation in business.

We are very proud to be one of the most gender-balanced business schools globally and are thrilled that this year our 2023-2024 MBA cohort is 51% female, making it the largest ratio of female-to-male participants in our School’s 27-year history. 

Our aim is for equal representation across all our accredited programmes as diversity within our cohorts is so valuable to the classes. We are also really pleased to see that yet again our female-to-male ratio has increased in many of our executive degree and diploma programmes, including in the Diploma in Artificial Intelligence for Business which jumped from 26% female participation last year to 44% this year.

Female participation

51%

MBA

42%

Executive MBA

47%

MSc Financial Economics

43%

Executive Education

46%

MSc Global Healthcare Leadership

44%

Diploma in AI for Business

Diversity, equality, and inclusion are paramount to everything we do as a school, and empowering women is key to that. Achieving a high ratio of female students is a testament to our mission to prepare the next generation of female leaders.

Kathy Harvey

Associate Dean, MBA and Executive Degrees

Hear from our students

Our passion and commitment to empowering women on their leadership journey is an intrinsic part of the work of our community every day and it is woven throughout the School’s research and teaching.  

The Oxford Women in Leadership Alliance

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Women on the Oxford MBA

The Oxford Women in Leadership Alliance exists to create an atmosphere of inclusivity, partnership and allyship around the women at the School. Through meaningful discussions and informative events, we work to challenge conventional conceptions of women in business, and further cultivate the next generation of thought leaders and role models.

Scholarships for women

We are committed to helping women succeed in their career pursuits, starting with supporting their business education through scholarships and awards.

Through partnerships we provide brilliant women with the support they need to pursue a first-class business education:  

  • Laidlaw Foundation
  • Intesa Sanpaolo
  • Forté
  • 30% Club 

 

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The Laidlaw Scholarships

The Laidlaw Scholarships are intended to encourage extraordinary women with clear leadership potential to enrol on the Oxford MBA programme when they would not have previously considered the qualification due to financial constraints. The Laidlaw Foundation intends to build a pipeline of future women leaders through access to best-in-class education, resources and global networks.

 

Executive Education for women

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Through our Executive Education programmes we support women in their leadership journey and help them to define the kind of leader they want to be to lead successfully in their own particular context.

We have two programmes specifically designed to help female leaders thrive:

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Belonging to a network of executive women

After graduating from the Oxford Women Transforming Leadership programme, author and writer Eloise Skinner interviewed fellow classmates and incredible women she met during her Oxford journey.

First, she found Dr Merritt Moore innovative and creative, and thought her impact will no doubt be felt across her industries for generations to come. She is an American ballerina and quantum physicist, awarding her the nickname 'quantum ballerina'.

Eloise also interviewed programme founder, Kathryn Bishop, who was awarded a CBE by King Charles for services to diversity and public administration.

International Women's Day

Every year throughout the month of March, to mark International Women’s Day, we host a series of events to share insights, learnings and actions to drive gender equality within our community and beyond. Here is a selection from March 2023.

Gender equality in business

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This short film explores gender equality issues, including how women can be encouraged to develop the confidence to overcome these hurdles.