Transformation and feminisation: The masculinity of the MBA and the “un-development” of men

Abstract

Purpose-This paper sets out to explore the gendered nature of the MBA and the benefits men and women gain from the course. In so doing it highlights a relationship between the masculinity of the MBA and the ‘un-development’ of men.

Design/methodology/approach- The paper draws on secondary data and critiques the masculinity of the MBA pedagogy.

Findings- Examining outcomes from the MBA, evidence suggests that while men may achieve greater progress in terms of career development and pay, it is women who are more likely to undergo ‘transformational’ change.

Originality and value- Drawing on work from critical management education (CME) and on models of learning, this paper argues for the need to ‘feminize’ the MBA, where feminization is used in a critical context to include a challenge to rather than rejection of dominant discourses. This goes some way to address the charge that, while CME has highlighted some of the programme’s moral and political foundations, it has failed to recognise the gendered implications of the MBA.