Volume 6, Issue 1

The present study addresses women’s underrepresentation in the academic profession, as well as the need for policies and practices aimed at this issue. It compares underrepresentation of academic women in North American countries, and explores, throughout a bivariate analysis, personal, professional, as well as institutional variables related to this phenomenon. The results of the study, corroborated with national-level data on faculty in the focal countries, showed that the underrepresentation of full-time university faculty, in relation to the percentage of women who earned a PhD, was evident in the participating countries, regardless of the level of development of their economies, as well as of their higher education systems. The study shows that the select few women who remain in the system long enough to secure a tenure-track appointment are not only educational survivors, but also characteristically different from both the men and the women in their peer groups.

Despite progress, women are still disproportionally underrepresented in leadership positions in higher education. Women must contend with a glass ceiling, which we argue is constituted by discourses of impossibility and femininity. These discourses discourage women from recognizing their qualifications, continuing to develop skills, and making a plan that would position them to obtain leadership positions in colleges and universities. Although the problem has been articulated before, little practical information is offered to help women navigate it. To rectify this, we identify and outline competencies needed for advancement in higher education and suggest strategies for recognizing, tracking, and developing relevant skills. Aspiring women leaders need an understanding of the problems that keep them from advancing, an awareness of the competencies needed for administration, practical tactics for acquiring such proficiencies, and a sense that their goals are attainable. In sum, they need a plan

Women who move into and work within administration in higher education face many struggles. Both the traits that are specific to most females and their leadership style can impede their rise into and within administrative ranks. In addition, higher education has traditionally been a hierarchical and patriarchal system that makes it more difficult for women to advance into administrative positions. Over the past few decades, women have been making significant increases in community college administration. Community colleges have been more accepting of women both as students and as faculty; and now, they are leading higher education in reaching gender parity in administration. Across the nation, women hold over 50 percent of the executive/administrative and managerial positions in community colleges. In contrast to the national numbers, women in West Texas are in the minority as administrators in community colleges. Using a naturalistic inquiry and case study format, this study investigated environmental factors in West Texas community colleges that contribute to the marginalization of four women in leadership roles. In addition, the study also investigated the perceived leadership style and the mentorship opportunities of these women. This research gives access to the success stories of women in community college administration. The stories of these women serve as models for other women wanting to move into the administrative ranks of community colleges.

This qualitative study focused on the successes and challenges experienced by four undergraduate college women while holding top leadership roles in student organizations. Interpretive and descriptive qualitative research methods were employed with aspects of case study and phenomenological approaches of inquiry. Data were collected through one-on-one in-depth interviews, a focus group interview, and participant journals. Results suggest the women’s perceptions of their leadership successes were externally focused, emphasizing the organization and helping develop group members. The challenges faced by the women involved difficulty in balancing relationship and task behaviors, difficulty in balancing the roles of leader and friend, and challenges faced by the larger organizational and environmental context. These findings are examined alongside existing literature. Implications for supporting college women in formal leadership roles are presented, along with recommendations for future research.

Research cannot be conducted without conscious or unconscious use of underlying theoretical principles (Broido & Manning, 2002). As such, even studies that seem void of theoretical underpinnings subscribe to some semblance of theoretical principles. Broido and Manning (2002) argue that postmodernism, feminist theory, and critical theory, among others, offer higher education researchers “new ways to consider their relationships with students, colleagues, institutions, and society” (p. 444). Moreover, Abes (2009) encourages researchers to consider experimenting with the choice and application of theoretical perspectives. To answer these calls, this article provides an in-depth exploration of the differences and similarities of feminist postmodern focus group interviews and constructivist one-on-one interviews with 38 women elected as leaders in a national higher education association. The women both (re)member and (re)live their experiences. The author intentionally follows two feminist theoretical perspectives-and their congruent methodologies, methods, and findings-in order to reflect on the complexities and power of researchers’ determinations in the hopes of advancing critical conversations about methodology in higher education.