Women Leaders within Higher Education in the United States: Supports, Barriers, and Experiences of Being a Senior Leader

Abstract

Fundamental change is underway in higher education requiring more leaders and a different type of leadership at all levels. However, statistics indicate the women are under represented at the senior-most levels. Our research focused on 35 women at the senior-most levels of institutions of higher education and explored their journey into senior leadership roles and their experience of being a leader in higher education today. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, coded, and analyzed. Included is a statistical comparison of the experiences of white women and women of color. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in senior leadership positions in higher education. The women leaders in this study provide more detailed descriptions of the positive aspects of being in a leadership role than have been previously reported. The positive aspects of being in a leadership role are important to document in order to provide balanced perspective on the experiences of being a senior leader and a woman in higher education.