This research study focuses on female executives at two-year and four-year public Hispanic-Serving Institutions in the U.S. Southwest Border States by examining their lived experiences and career paths that helped them become successful senior administrators. Although most college students are female, women in leadership positions in academia are…

This mixed methods sequential explanatory study aimed to understand the emotional impacts of working mothers in higher education during COVID-19 lockdowns and through the first year of COVID-19. The researcher conducted quantitative research in the form of a survey, which included a depression, anxiety, and stress screener. Participants who…

The percentage of female faculty members who have achieved tenure is disproportionately represented against their male peers. Even more so, female faculty members who are also mothers, or mother-scholars, represent less than half of tenured female faculty. Current research posits that a lack of female faculty in higher education translates to a…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to present, through interviews, the experiences of women adult learners in higher education with full-time jobs and family responsibilities. The results illustrated how these women adjusted to higher education, being older in classes, prioritizing school, work, and family, and having time…

Women of Color student affairs staff experience the nexus of gendered and racialized traumatization regularly in their institutional environments; yet, their experiences are underrepresented in both student affairs leadership and in scholarly literature. Furthermore, identity-conscious, trauma-aware supervision is a promising protective strategy…

Women bring diversity, innovation, and leadership to higher education institutions, which is often disregarded (Renn & Hughes, 2004). This participatory action research study explores women's experiences before, during, and after the COVID-19 component using a feminist lens. This study examines the obstacles facing women in the workplace that…

Despite the massive influx of new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion roles created across the public and private sectors since 2020, there remains a glaring gap in research in this critical area. While existing research showcases the disparities that systems of oppression created for Black women, what's missing is research providing actionable…

Following a prologue in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 delves into the pivotal role of departmental culture and leadership in shaping parental leave experience. Findings reveal that the parental leave policy at one R1 institution fell short in providing adequate support due to the absence of proactive guidance from supervisors and department heads. The…

Saudi Arabia is seeking to diversify its oil-based economy due to a decline in revenue (Rubin, 2017b) and since the Kingdom is the primary employer for most of its citizens many of these public sector jobs are being eliminated or cut back (Madhi & Barrientos, 2003). Private sector non-Saudi companies are being encouraged to come to the Kingdom…

With more women of color (WOC) aspiring to study science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and healthcare (STEMH), colleges and universities serve as a critical environment for preparing and supporting successful transitions from earning a STEMH degree through participation in the STEMH workforce. I use a three-article format to examine the…

In today's society, women who return back to school seeking an advancement within their career is a transition within the lives of women that occurs in various contexts, including the women's ages at the time of their transition, which can define both their expectations and opportunities along their life stages and career paths. In the past, women…

Gender inequality in engineering persists in spite of women reaching parity in college enrollments and degrees granted. To date, no analyses of educational sex segregation have comprehensively examined segregation within one discipline. To move beyond traditional methods of studying the long-standing stratification by field of study in higher…

In the existing student affairs literature about career development and work-life balance, women administrators of all professional levels and women with children of all ages have been studied together. As a result, little is known about the unique rewards and challenges that result from simultaneously negotiating the different stages of…

This phenomenological study is about the decision-making process of women with young children at the mid-level student affairs position who decide to opt out of their career for a minimum of one year, and for some, return to higher education. The study is based on interviews with 17 mid-level college administrators and mothers of young children,…