Women looking in to earning their MBA degree in high pressure and risky areas such as finance may find that hormones are a factor for their career choice.  A recent study looked at women and their exposure to testosterone as a reason they take on precarious careers.

Higher testosterone levels might explain why some women seek out risky financial trading jobs while others stick to more stable business careers, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.

Female MBA students with higher levels of the “male” hormone testosterone were far more likely than those with lower levels to choose finance careers such as investment banking that can be lucrative but also risky, a team at Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago found.

“This study has significant implications for how the effects of testosterone could impact actual risk-taking in financial markets, because many of these students will go on to become major players in the financial world,” University of Chicago’s Luigi Zingales, who worked on the study, said in a statement.

“Furthermore, it could shed some light on gender differences in career choices. Future studies should further explore the mechanisms through which testosterone affects the brain.”

Regardless of hormone levels, earning your MBA degree online will put you in a position for the top jobs and higher earnings. An MBA will also let prospective employers know that you have the knowledge and skills to meet the demands of a high level job.

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