Abstract
Gender issues in management and leadership in higher education institutions (HEIs) continue to be a global phenomenon, as well as a significant one in post-Apartheid South Africa. Despite several measures to promote gender equality, women’s proportion in management and leadership in HEIs remains low. This mixed methods paper formed part of the larger study which was conducted to understand the dynamic of gender on women’s representation in management and leadership positions in HEIs. The research was conducted in two selected universities in South Africa. Self-developed Five-Point Likert Scale questionnaires were used to collect data from 151 of the 289 sampled academic and non-academic respondents. Additionally, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 10 selected participants from these universities. The qualitative data were analysed thematically, while the quantitative data were analysed using SPSS with Descriptive Statistics, a One-Way Analysis of Variance and a Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The study found a significant (p<0.001) relationship between gender identity and gender perception with a negative correlation (-0.180*). It revealed a significant relationship between gender perception and perception of women’s representation in HEIs’ management and leadership positions (p=0.004) with a positive correlation (0.360**). The study revealed how gender conceptualisation is embedded in society and determines how women’s representation in HEIs’ management and leadership is viewed. It found gender as a systematic phenomenon whereby cultural processes undermine the role of women. Notwithstanding, the various interventions from various stakeholders, the study suggested that competency and capability must play a critical role in addressing gender inequality in HEIs.
Author Information
Mercy Olajumoke Kutu, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa
Thoko Mayekiso, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa
Paper Information
Conference: ECE2024
Stream: Educational policy
This paper is part of the ECE2024 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Kutu M., & Mayekiso T. (2024) Investigating the Relationship Between Gender Perception and Women’s Representation in Higher Education Management and Leadership Positions ISSN: 2188-1162 The European Conference on Education 2024: Official Conference Proceedings (pp. 499-511) https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2024.40
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2188-1162.2024.40
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