Women top in business studies

By DITA DE BONI

The 21st century may indeed earn the title of the "century of women in business" if the latest crop of top commerce graduates from the Auckland University of Technology is anything to go by.

For the first time, the top overall graduates from the bachelor of business (honours), the bachelor of business and the diploma of business are all women.

Top honours graduate Erika Jackson, aged 23, works in marketing for John Sands greeting cards. She says marketing is an overwhelmingly female area and women do not seem to suffer disadvantages until they are in senior management.

"All I can say is that I wouldn't stay in any company that did not respect my qualifications or experience."

Top bachelor of business graduate Shruti Singh, aged 22, immigrated from India over four years ago to pursue a career in international business.

She says that through her work as a management consultant she sees several women in top positions, which leaves her feeling the glass ceiling will "not be an issue."

But the top diploma graduate, 33-year-old Linda Wang, who shares her first place with fellow female student Li Huang, says that while women can do well in her chosen field of accounting, there is sometimes a conflict of interest when they are trying to juggle the demands of family and work.

"I have two children and would love to spend more time with them. I think women in business have a hard time getting time off to spend with their families."

For most of the past decade women have outnumbered men as students on both bachelor of business and diploma in business courses at AUT.

Last year, the total number of female students enrolled in the bachelor course was 775 compared with 521 males, while the total number of diploma students stood at 1128 women to 627 men.