Assessing Women's Integration into Leadership in Sub-Saharan Higher Education

Abstract

The integration of women in leadership positions in higher education institutions (HEIs) is a worldwide challenging phenomenon, while their remarkable contributions enhance the achievement of organizational goals. However, women's engagement in leadership positions is limited in HEI, despite various initiatives to promote it. Thus, this study examines the barriers and enablers of women's integration into leadership roles in HEIs in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study used secondary information that was located online using keywords linked to women's integration into leadership roles in HEIs in Sub-Saharan Africa. The search was performed systematically across databases: scientific journal articles, case studies, and numerous reports based on varied methodologies and situations are among the sources chosen. (Examples of databases: Google Scholar, EBSCO host, Web of Science, IEEE, and the ACM Digital Library). The findings revealed that in Sub-Saharan Africa, institutional, social, and personal barriers act as barriers to the integration of women into leadership roles in HEIs. On the other hand, mentoring, leadership development, networking, and gender mainstreaming facilitate women’s integration into leadership roles in HEIs in SSA. The study is significant because the conclusions help policymakers and other worldwide stakeholders in their discussions about achieving gender equality in career development, noting down the obstacles and developing enabling policies.