Women Academic Leaders’ Experiences in Private and Public Universities of Pakistan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58329/criss.v3i2.146Abstract
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This qualitative study has investigated the experiences of women who hold academic leadership positions at Pakistani public and private universities in Lahore. With reference to society, organizations, families, and personal lives, it sought to examine the difficulties and sources of support faced by female academic leaders in Pakistani institutions. Semi structured interviews were conductedfor data collection by using convenient sampling technique. Thematic analysis has been used to examine the qualitative data. The major conclusions pointed to a range of obstacles and enablers that impact the leadership of female academics. The main obstacles that hinder female academic leaders are personal ones, such as their upbringing, lack of confidence, availability of resources and the ability to manage their time. The second most challenging collection of issues was social in nature and included unjust judgment and gender biasness, while institutional issues included politics inside the organization, favoritism, and jealousy. The support that women who hold academic leadership positions receive from higher authorities and faculty members in private v/s public colleges, however, is a significant difference between their experiences. As per the participants, private institutions offer equal opportunities for male and female students to develop as leaders, while public universities tend to give greater opportunities to males. The assistance faculty members of private colleges to their female leaders, who are comparatively more numerous and cooperative than the faculty members of public institutions, was another obvious distinction between their experiences. Faculty members, both male and female, appreciate the judgment of the female leader and follow her instructions just as they would that of the male leader. Compared to women leaders in public institutions, this is one of the main causes of the superior experiences that female academic leaders have in securing and carrying out leadership positions at private universities.
Keywords:
Challenges, Gender, Leadership, Supportive factors, Women leaders
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