Purpose: This phenomenological study, conducted within the discourse on the underrepresentation of women in academia, examined the factors influencing the advancement of women academics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Design/methodology/approach: The sample comprised twenty-one women academics from both public and…

An imaginary divide exists between academic affairs and student affairs, fueled by disagreements over responsibility for the educational mission of a university. Some in academic affairs doubt the capability of student affairs professionals to promote rigorous learning, because student affairs is often viewed as the realm outside of the classroom.…

The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological research study was to explore the obstacles Latinas overcame to advance into midlevel leadership at their respective higher education institutions. A literature review indicated that Latinas and Latinos are among the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States. Yet, they need to be more…

Mexico, the second-largest economy in Latin America after Brazil, has a gender gap index score of 76.4% in 2022 compared to 75.7% in 2021 and is ranked 31 out of 146 countries for 2022. Mexico has become one of the world's leaders in gender-political equality, which shows that the gender ceiling is cracking, and it is yet to see if gender parity…

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to explore the early career pathways of women who are deans in academic medicine to understand how they perceived their developed leadership skills and how they identified strategies to advance women into dean leadership roles. Theoretical Framework: Social role theory states that societal expectations of…

Women are forced to navigate many barriers while pursuing a leadership position. Alice Eagly and Linda Carli (2007) introduced the metaphor 'labyrinth of leadership' as a well-rounded image that represents the complex journey women face while pursuing leadership opportunities. The sample of this study included women who currently hold a provost…

Guided by social cognitive career theory (SCCT; Lent et al. in J Vocat Behav 45(1):79-122, 1994), we assessed sociocultural (e.g., home-school cultural value mismatch) and contextual barriers (e.g., institutional climate) in science education and career development at both a baccalaureate-granting institution (BGI) and community college (CC) among…

In this study, I focused on African-American women who have pursued and continue to pursue administrative roles at a predominately White institution in the Midwest. Using a phenomenology approach, that employed an initial questionnaire sent to various marginalized groups in the Midwest to women who fit the research criteria. After completing the…

Feminism has re-emerged as important and even influential discourse among women, including within higher education. Public support by prominent women has brought an upgraded version of feminism into the mainstream. This version of "neoliberal feminism" however, overlooks the challenges faced by many first-generation, undergraduate women,…

The purpose of this study is to lend itself to the limited body of research on Women of Color in mid-level staff administrative roles serving on historically White campuses in the United States (Bazner, 2022). While there are articles that mention these women, they are typically grouped together with Women of Color in faculty roles (Rosser, 2004).…

Growing research into the experiences of non-Indigenous early career researchers (ECRs) has identified a multitude of challenges that can impede early research career development. Expectations to publish, secure research grants and to deliver large teaching loads contribute to high levels of frustration and stress. While additional…

This study examines the ascension of women of color (WOC) to senior leadership roles in the higher education C-suite (senior-level executives in an organization). WOC earn 16% of PhDs and only 2% of senior leadership positions at higher education institutions. Increasingly, the higher education pipeline has diverse women ready and capable of…

This empirical study explores the issues surrounding gender inequality and the career development of academic women in Saudi Arabia's Higher Education (HE) system. The medium of narrative inquiries was employed, with a particular focus on female academics' lived experience of gender inequality and career development. The study is influenced by a…

This paper describes the results of qualitative and exploratory research into the transition to and experiences of the working world of graduates from a Chilean technical-professional higher education institution, whose student body is mainly made up of first-generation higher education students. The study includes eight in-depth and six group…

The purpose of this qualitative study is to explore the persistence strategies of executive African American female administrators in higher education in the pre- and post-COVID-19 landscape. Further, the study provides suggestions for how academies of leadership may provide strategic supports to address the barriers confronted by African American…