Empowering Women in University Leadership Positions: The Saudi Context

(Leena Sulaiman Alkhlewi)

---

Abstract

This study aims to practically identify the reality of empowering Saudi women in leadership positions in higher education institutions, reveal the challenges that prevent their empowerment, and suggest some methods to overcome these challenges. To achieve the study’s objectives, the researcher used the descriptive survey method based on a questionnaire as a tool for the analysis. The researcher used a classified random sample of 376 faculty members in the following Saudi government universities: King Saud in Riyadh, King Abdulaziz in Jeddah, and Imam Abdulrahman bin Faisal in the Eastern. The study reached several conclusions. The analysis indicates that there is empowerment of Saudi women in leadership positions in higher education institutions and that there is agreement among the study sample members on the challenges that prevent the empowerment of Saudi women in leadership positions in higher education institutions. Cultural challenges come first, followed by personal challenges, and finally, organizational challenges. There is strong agreement on ways to overcome challenges that prevent Saudi women from being empowered in leadership positions in higher education institutions.
KEYWORDS
Saudi universities, change, educational administration, leadership, equality, female

PDF

References

Adu-Yeboah, C.R., Oduro, G.Y. and Takyiakwaa, D.S. (2021). Women’s leadership in Ghanaian higher education: a matter of tokenism equality or equity. American Council on Education, n/a(9), 18–20. 
Al Omar, H. and Al Abdi, B. (2018). Tamkin almar'at fi muasasat altaelim aleali fi almamlakat alearabiat alsaeudiati: Alwaqie walmamuli ‘Empowering women in higher education institutions in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Reality and hope’. Journal of Administrative and Economic Sciences, 21(22), 43–63. [in Arabic]
Aleasaafi, S.M. (2012). Almadkhal 'Iilaa Albahth Fi Aleulum Alsulukiati, Altabeat Althaaniati ‘Introduction to Research in The Behavioral Sciences’. 2nd edition. Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Dar Al-Zahra. [in Arabic]
Al-Ghamdi, A.M. (2016). The Empowerment of Academic Women Leaders at Saudi Universities and Its Relationship to Their Administrative Creativity. PhD Thesis, Michigan University, Michigan, USA. 
Al-Ghofaily, L.A. (2019). Women leadership in higher education in Saudi Arabia. International Journal of Social Sciences, n/a(2), 14–32. 
Al-Otaibi, F.A. (2020). Saudi women and leadership:  Empowering women as leaders in higher education institutions. Open Journal of Leadership, 15(9), 156–77.
Al-Zawahreh, A.A. and Al-Madi, F.A. (2012). The utility of equity theory in enhancing organizational effectiveness. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, n/a(46), 158–70.
Burkinshaw, P. and White, K. (2017). Fixing the women or fixing universities: women in HE leadership. MDPI Journal, 7(3), 1–14.
Cornwall, A. (2016). Women's empowerment what works. Journal of International Development, n/a(28), 342–59.
Delaquil, T. (2021). Striving to achieve the unfinished business of gender equality: The Case of women’s leadership in higher education. American Council on Education, n/a(9), 36–8.
Ghanim, F.A. (2020). Altamayuz alqiadiu alnisayiyu wawaqieuh fi almajal al'akadimii fi aljamieat alsaeudiati ‘Women's leadership excellence and its reality in the academic field in Saudi Universities’. The Arab Journal of Management, 40(1), 215–26. [in Arabic]
Kuzhabekova, A. (2021). Women’s leadership in higher education in Kazakhstan. American Council on Education, n/a(9), 13–5.
Longman, K.A., Daniels, J.A., Bray, D.L. and Liddell, W.Y. (2018). How organizational culture shapes women’s leadership experiences. Administrative Sciences, 8(8)1–16.
Makhlouf, A.M. (2020). Altamkin al'iidariu ladaa alqiadat alnisayiyat fi jamieat jazan: dirasat maydaniatun ‘Administrative Empowerment of Women Leaders at Jazan University: A Field Study’. Al-Azhar Education Journal, Faculty of Education, Al-Azhar University, 2(188), 237–306. [in Arabic]
Maldonado, A. and Gómez, R.R. (2021). The scourge of gender based violence in Mexican higher education. American Council on Education, n/a(9), 22–4.
Medilo, C. and Medilo, R. (2017). Social perspective of human development. Journal of Educational and Human Resource Development, n/a(5), 34–9.
Morley, L. (2013). Women and Higher Education Leadership: Absences and Aspirations. UK, University of Sussex: Centre for higher education and equity research (CHEER).
Mubaraki, M.M.H. (2020). Dawr jamieat almalik khalid fi tanmiat alqiadat alnisayiyati ‘The role of King Khalid University in the development of women leaders’. Journal of Economic, Administrative and Legal Sciences, 4(12), 82–108. [in Arabic]
Musharaf, S.E. and Albikri, S.A. (2021). Juhud tamkin almar'at fi jamieat taybat: Markaz tamkin almar'at 'unmudhaja ‘Efforts to empower women at Taibah University: Center for women empowerment as a model’. Journal of Arab Studies in Education and Psychology, Association of Arab Educators, 129(129), 337–90. [in Arabic]
Pérez, M.S., Sánchez, P.L. and Cabrero, C.D. (2020). Education for sustainable leadership: Fostering women’s empowerment at the university level. Sustainability, 11(55), 1–14.
Regulska, J. (2021). Women and equity in higher education: Eradicating barriers in a bost-pandemic world.  American Council on Education, n/a(9) 8–10.
Sasaki, T. and Uchida, S. (2012). The evolution of cooperation by social exclusion. Proc. R. Soc. B., 280(2012), 1-7. DOI 10.1098/rspb.2012.2498.
Saudi Ministry of Education. (2019). Altaqrir Alsanawiu Liwizarat Altaelimi ‘Annual Report of the Ministry of Education.’ Available at: https://data.gov.sa/Data/ar/organization/ministry_of_education (accessed on 11/12/2021). [in Arabic]
Seale, O., Fish, P. and Schreiber, B. (2021). Enabling and empowering women in leadership in South African universities: Assessing needs and designing a response. Management in Education, 35(3), 1–10.
Un Women (2017). Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment: Constitutional Jurisprudence .Available at:        https://www.idea.int/sites/default/files/publications/gender-equality-and-womens-empowerment-constitutional-  jurisprudence.  (accessed on: 11/12/2021).                                  
Yinhan, W.A. (2013). Women leaders of higher education: Female executives in Leading universities in China. Cross Cultural Communication, 9(6) 40–5.