Women as Academic Leaders in Higher Education
Women as Academic Leaders in Higher Education
Aparna Raj
Professor & Head
Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management
Bundelkhand University, Jhansi
Women in Higher Education in India are among the lowest in the Commonwealth Countries. Women reach the top the hard way it is a struggle, a constant juggling of roles, tight work to maintain a balance between home and career. With all the old roles and new roles mixing matching, prioritizing to excel, few have reached to peak. The climate of higher education is still un-friendly toward women, and we need more progressive leadership to transform our Universities into more responsive, nurturing academic communities. In a land where Saraswati is worshiped as an embodiment of learning, the girl child is often deprived from going to the school. Those who do get education have to face a struggle in the work arena. Those women who enter into the Higher Education as a profession face unique problems and challenges. It is true that women, of late, have made their presence felt, with a difference, in the present male dominated Higher Education system, often appearing as winning competitors, not just in the academic front but also in the decision making areas of academic governance. Most male counterparts in the Higher Education scenario would rather pray to the prevedic image of a woman and keep them out of competition. An Attitudinal change is required, where women in Higher Education, as in all other spheres are treated as individuals and at par with men, as partners.
This paper focuses on the challenges faced by women in Higher Education. It elaborates the importance of 4 C’s of an Academic leader, viz.: courage, conflict, community and change. Women in Higher Education need not just have a vision, but also have the ability, courage and initiative to implement that vision. Leaders fuel higher education’s response to change. Some leadership styles fuel positive transformation while others work best for maintenance. In
Aparna Raj
Professor & Head
Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management
Bundelkhand University, Jhansi
Women in Higher Education in India are among the lowest in the Commonwealth Countries. Women reach the top the hard way it is a struggle, a constant juggling of roles, tight work to maintain a balance between home and career. With all the old roles and new roles mixing matching, prioritizing to excel, few have reached to peak. The climate of higher education is still un-friendly toward women, and we need more progressive leadership to transform our Universities into more responsive, nurturing academic communities. In a land where Saraswati is worshiped as an embodiment of learning, the girl child is often deprived from going to the school. Those who do get education have to face a struggle in the work arena. Those women who enter into the Higher Education as a profession face unique problems and challenges. It is true that women, of late, have made their presence felt, with a difference, in the present male dominated Higher Education system, often appearing as winning competitors, not just in the academic front but also in the decision making areas of academic governance. Most male counterparts in the Higher Education scenario would rather pray to the prevedic image of a woman and keep them out of competition. An Attitudinal change is required, where women in Higher Education, as in all other spheres are treated as individuals and at par with men, as partners.
This paper focuses on the challenges faced by women in Higher Education. It elaborates the importance of 4 C’s of an Academic leader, viz.: courage, conflict, community and change. Women in Higher Education need not just have a vision, but also have the ability, courage and initiative to implement that vision. Leaders fuel higher education’s response to change. Some leadership styles fuel positive transformation while others work best for maintenance. In