It’s one of the hottest educational options today, and if you’re an EMBA student, you’re more often than not dead serious about your business, either the one you own or the one you work for in a professional capacity. An Executive MBA is a step-ladder that helps you climb up in the world of business; it gives you an edge when it comes to making informed and educated decisions; and it broadens your horizons and adds to your work experience in more ways than one.

And this begs the question – why is such a valuable degree shunned by most women? According to recent statistics, only 20 percent of the nation’s EMBA students are women; the low number is an anomaly to the rest of the education spectrum where women are able to hold their own and even beat the male of the species in equal or higher numbers. Perhaps the reasons for this avoidance are:

· EMBA classes are held mostly over the weekend to accommodate most of the class who lead busy work lives throughout the week and so, are unable to spare time to attend lectures and discussions. This means that women who enroll must compromise on their family time in order to attend class. If you have kids at home who look forward to spending time with you and who seek your attention on the weekends, you’re probably going to wish your degree fast forwarded to its natural conclusion.

· The high and sometimes prohibitive cost of EMBA programs – if your employer is not too keen on shelling out money towards your degree, you may not be willing to secure a loan or spend your own money to earn an EMBA. You cannot justify the cost as an investment when the money could have been spent on countless other things. Besides, some employers may be prejudiced against spending money on women to take up EMBA programs.

But in spite of these hurdles, if you’re a woman, here’s why you must pursue an EMBA if you’re serious about your career:

· In today’s touch economy, it’s the values that matter – relationships and people - that are taking importance; women are becoming more valuable to corporations because they are perceived as more emotional and so, more human. They’re able to make a difference because of their softer approach to business interactions rather than the hard-boiled attitude that men tend to adopt. So if you’re really interested in an EMBA, your employer would most probably be willing to sponsor it for you.

· You’re bound to be up for a promotion and/or a salary increase if you add an EMBA to your arsenal of business tools.

· Many schools that offer EMBA programs now feature attractive scholarships for deserving women. So if you’re really passionate about the degree but are worried about the cost, look around for scholarships that could help you get ahead.

Remember, it’s now or never when it comes to getting ahead in your career. So while you may have to juggle work, family and an education for a few months, at the end of it all, you find that it’s worth every inch of the struggle.  

This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of degrees online . She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com