Women in higher education administration : a cultural approach

Women entering the traditionally male environs of higher education senior administration may be thought of as sojourners traveling in a foreign land. This qualitative study examines the culture of an elite group of women who are senior administrators.

Ethnographic interviews were conducted with ten women in the positions of academic deans or higher, at public universities, in one southeastern state. Using the grounded theory method, thematic analysis yielded five major themes: (1) the path of advancement, (2) the inevitability of culture, (3) the struggle of adaptation, (4) the process of mentoring and (5) the aftermath of success. An alternative form of data representation was used; thus, the five themes are presented within the metaphor of a journey to a foreign land.

The findings suggest that these women are not granted full membership in the dominant culture and that they work in an often inhospitable atmosphere. The study describes the impact of the good old boys network and the exclusionary behaviors which deny the women full participation in the culture. The issues of successful coping and adaptation are also addressed. Suggestions are made regarding improved access to senior administration via traditional and creative mentoring strategies. Recommendations are made for an enlightened organizational culture which renounces homogeneity in favor of the benefits heterogeneous approaches to management and leadership could provide.