Challenges, Choices, and Decisions of Women in Higher Education

Abstract

This research examined challenges, choices, and decisions of women professors in higher education. Special attention was given to Latina professors. This article reviewed the literature on established theories of representative bureaucracy and contextualized faculty women, especially Latinas, in this proportional representation framework. Answers were sought to three research questions: Are Hispanic, Black, and Asian women keeping pace with their White peers in higher education; are women as a group in higher education keeping pace with their male counterparts; and what obstacles, if any, must female professors overcome? Study results suggest that although women comprise nearly half of all postsecondary teachers, they are not keeping pace with White males in terms of promotion to tenured professorships. Education demographics illustrate that Latinas, in particular, are not achieving tenure and promotion and are not proportionately represented in higher education suggesting that mentoring may be a key variable to promotion within higher education.