Reconceptualizing the Barriers to Women’s Leadership in Higher Education: A Comprehensive Approach

Document Type : Research Paper

Author

Assistant Profesor, Department of Islamic Studies and Educational Sciences, Imam Sadiq University (Women’s Campus), Tehran, Iran.

Abstract

This study aims to investigate the challenges of women’s leadership in higher education institutes. In order to achieve this purpose, a meta-synthesis method with an integrative approach was employed to aggregate, compare, and reconstruct findings from prior research into a coherent model. The research process followed the seven-step framework proposed by Sandelowski & Barroso (2007). First, the core research querry—“What are the challenges of women’s participation and advancement in managerial positions in higher education?”—was formulated. Subsequently, the literature was systematically reviewed, examining studies published since 2000 utilizing relevant keywords. Out of 185 initially identified sources, 95 studies met the inclusion criteria based on evaluations of titles, abstracts, and research content. During the stages of data extraction and synthesis, initial codes were obtained from the studies and progressively compared, merged, and integrated into conceptual categories and the final analytical model.
The meta-synthesis suggested seven major categories of barriers to women’s leadership and advancement in higher education: structural barriers, organizational barriers, socio-cultural barriers, family-related barriers, legal-policy barriers, psychological-individual barriers, and restrictions related to women’s social and professional capital. In addition, the concept of the “glass ceiling” was addressed as a distinct, cross-cutting barrier emerging from the interaction and reinforcement of all categories. The findings demonstrated that these barriers are multidimensional, interactive, and mutually reinforcing, and that structural and cultural interdependencies systematically restrict women’s pathways to managerial roles.

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References

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Woman in Development & Politics
Volume 24, Issue 1
April 2026
Pages 111-147

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