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 which is reflected in our MBA programme where this year 48% of our 2024-25 MBA cohort is female. 

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. 

Female participation

48%

MBA

38%

Executive MBA

41%

MSc Financial Economics

51%

MSc Global Healthcare Leadership

40%

Diploma in Strategy and Innovation

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 for Global Networks and Innovation

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.

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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:  

 

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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

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.

Empowering women through Executive Education

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Women in business

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 of this year's events and highlights from previous years.

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Women’s voices are not only heard at Oxford, but celebrated.

Pavithra Ramaprasad

MBA student 2024-2025

Athena Swan Award

In 2025 our important work in advancing gender equality was once recognised by Advance HE, who awarded us an Athena Swan Bronze accreditation, for the second time. Achieving this well-respected benchmark, which recognises good practice in higher education, is thanks to the hard work of colleagues across the School.