This study examines whether university leaders exhibit gendered in-role behaviors that are expected of leaders in a patriarchal society like Indonesia. A total of thirty-five university leaders (ULs) participated in this study. The study utilized a critical realist approach and found similarities and differences between cohort groups from conflict resolution, negotiating with people with power, linking with external networks, and getting rid of the presumption of incompetence and gender bias. Even though female ULs needed to balance internal and external perceptions of self, they showed assertiveness, depth of conviction and purpose, and a take-charge attitude. Male ULs manifested protective attitudes borne out of positional authority. This study provided a platform for leaders to discuss through lived experiences, the enablers and barriers of in-role behaviors. The most significant finding is that female ULs were hindered by a stifling bureaucracy and insufficient resource allocation. This study contributes to a discourse on gendered leadership in the contemporary higher education space, and analyzed power dynamics and contextual processes that inhibit university leadership in a rapidly-developing nation.