Abstract
Despite extensive research into women's leadership representation and roles, little is known about the role of women in Iraqi leadership and academics. Most of the literature on academic imperialism and the relegation of women to secondary roles in higher education is authored by Westernershus; thus, it may not accurately depict the level of gender inequality in academia. The aim of the current study is to explore the prospect of career progression for women in Iraq based on the insight presented by both male and female professionals. The study also sought to whether the interaction between lecturers and students was influenced by gender stereotypes and the inclusion of women in departmental administration. Hence, a quantitative research method was used, and data required to sufficiently address the research questions was collected using questionnaires. The sample population constituted of 59 male and female professionals and 114 students of both genders and across departments. The collected data was then analyzed on SPSS version 2.0. The research found that male employees had a better prospect of career progressions than their female counterparts; 57.6% of male professional participants strongly agreed that their prospect of career progression is high, while 50% strongly agreed to this prompt. Moreover, female lecturers reported that female students were freer with them than their male counterparts. Also, females felt less represented in departmental administration than their male counterparts. Although Iraq's academia has come a long way in bridging the gender inequality gaps, more still needs to be done for better female professionals' inclusion in leadership and administrative roles. The current study that future studies should be dedicated to finding the current challenges facing women academics.
Highlights
Despite the widespread exploration of women's representation and roles in leadership, little is known about the role of women in leadership and academia in Iraq
The aim of the current study is to explore the prospect of career progression for women in Iraq based on the insight presented by both male and female professionals
The current study revealed that men reported a higher prospect of career progression than their female counterparts; 57.6% of male professional participants strongly agreed that their prospect of career progression is high, while 50% strongly agreed to this prompt
Summary
Despite the widespread exploration of women's representation and roles in leadership, little is known about the role of women in leadership and academia in Iraq. A number of studies conducted by western scholars fail to depict an accurate image of Arabic women in leadership and academia, it is irrefutable that Muslim majority countries post the highest discrepancies when it comes to education. Arafa and El-Ashry (2017) posit that despite the widespread recognition for the need for equality, legislations and societal practices that undermine equality are still prevalent in today's society. In the case of Egypt, which is a Muslim-dominated society, the recognition of gender equality as a fundamental human right has been ongoing since the emergence of the feminist movement in 1919 (Arafa & El-Ashry, 2017). The lack of gender equality, be it in the Islamic context or in Western civilizations, has been the major precursor for women revolts throughout history
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