Analyzing Leadership Challenges for Women in Higher Education

This report examines the challenges women face in leadership, particularly within higher education institutions. It addresses the glass ceiling effect and gender inequality, highlighting how societal norms and cultural biases impact women's career progression. The study analyzes the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles despite their significant presence in the workforce and educational attainment, referencing relevant literature and studies. The report focuses on the United States, where women earn a majority of master's degrees but hold a minority of leadership positions. The research aims to identify barriers to women's leadership development and propose strategies to foster a more inclusive environment. By investigating leadership challenges within educational institutions, the report provides insights that can be generalized to other organizations, offering a foundation for future research and the development of effective leadership development programs for women.

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Significance of the study
Student’s Name
University

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Significance of the study
The challenges that women face from the glass ceiling effect is a problem in all
organizations. Despite the progress made in leadership women are still being subjected to
unequal conditions with men. This study seeks to analyze the challenges that women face in
higher education organizations and the differential treatments that exist. Since these institutions
nurture young leaders who are prepared for future leadership roles, the addressing these issues
within the career development of students can address the problems that women suffer in
organization. Kezar (2017) suggests that understanding the reasons why women lag behind in
leadership can help institute mechanisms for controlling the barriers and creating better
conditions that allow both men and women to thrive in their careers. The study seeks to ensure
that all-inclusive strategies are put in place to address inequalities that create barriers for women.
The study seeks to understand the societal norms and beliefs that inhibit the success and
career growth of women. Through understanding subordination by men, culture is used as a
reference point for women challenges through subjecting them to cultural norms that do not
recognize the role of women in the society. According to Klenke (2017) women dominate the
labor market and yet they hold fewer leadership roles within organizations which creates the
question of what structural barriers are holding women and making them lag behind in
leadership. Further, the study analyses how the cultural definition of roles makes it difficult for
women to blend in male-dominated workplaces. By understanding these differences and the role
of the stereotypical assumption of the model of leadership, the study identifies challenges and
proposes mechanism that can be put in place to address these challenges.

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The findings of the study focus more on the higher education institutions in the United
States with an average of 60% master’s degree graduates being females. However, they hold
only 25% of all the leadership positions (Deborah, 2016; Dunn et. al. 2014). The role that
academic institutions play in meeting the needs of women becomes challenging since the
institutions are not nurturing the right women to men ratios. The role of this study therefore, is to
understand why higher education institutions have higher levels of male dominance and the role
that this variation has on the leadership development of women.
Therefore,, by researching on women leadership, this study highlights the challenges that
women face in career progression and the reasons why women work in less leadership roles and
take more subordinate roles. These findings can be generalized to other organization thus
creating an understanding of the challenges that women face in their quest for leadership roles.
These challenges can be the basis for future research and strategies for addressing these
variations. Since higher education institutions play a major role in leadership development of
young scholars. They can form the best ground for addressing leadership challenges that women
face and how they can be addressed. By proposing the right environment for shaping the
leadership role in women, this study is relevant in addressing leadership challenges that women
face in organization.

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References
Deborah, L. R. (2016). Women in Leadership. Oxford University Press.
Dunn, D.,& Gerlach, J. M., & Hyle, A. E. (2014). Gender and Leadership: Reflections of women
in higher education administration. International Journal of Leadership and Change, 2
(1), 2.
Kezar, A. (2017). Shared Leadership in Higher Education. Important Lesson for Research and
Practice. American Council on Education.
Klenke, K. (2017). Women in Leadership 2nd Edition: Contextual Dynamics and Boundaries.
Emerald Publishing Limited. ISBN-13: 978-1787430648. 2nd ed.