Journal of University Studies

Journal of University Studies

Women in Iran's higher education management: A double-glazed glass ceiling over the shuttered gates of faculties

Document Type : Original Research Paper

Author
L. Falahati
Associate Professor, Department of Women Studies, Institute for Social and Cultural Studies, Tehran, Iran
10.22035/jous.2023.5003.1027
Abstract
A glance at the participation of women in higher education across the world shows that the presence of women in higher education has been increasing steadily since the 1970s, and in Iran, this process has witnessed a dramatic growth in line with the policy of educational justice. This growing trend of women's participation raised the idea of feminization of higher education in Iran although the evaluation of achievements indicates the existence of stable gender inequalities at different aspects of higher education. The purpose of this study is to investigate the share of women in the management positions of the Ministry of Science, Research and Technology. The data were collected through a questionnaire distributed among female managers of the Ministry in 2020-2021. Findings revealed that the share of women in management positions is less than 10% and at the same time they are facing a double-glazed glass ceiling. In the first layer of this ceiling, a small share of women in the scientific ranks, including assistant professor (15%) and full professor (5%) prevent them to achieve higher level of managerial positions in higher education. This process is a reflection of the concept of leaky pipelines in the structure of higher education in Iran, which reflects the fact that women fall in the promotion process. In the second layer, the large share of women in the positions of department management and deputy of faculties (97 percent) and the small share in to university administrable positions (3 percent) indicate gender inequality. The findings showed that a total of 97% of women's managerial positions are limited to the faculties, and the positions outside of the faculties are negligible. In other words, the faculties have shuttered gates to allow women to enter, meanwhile, the double-glazed glass ceiling rests over the administrative staircase of higher education.
Keywords
women's management
women in higher education
glass ceiling
gender inequality
gender in higher education

Subjects

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Journal of University Studies
Volume 1, Issue 3 - Serial Number 3
Spring 2023
Spring 2023
Pages 33-61

  • Receive Date 17 October 2022
  • Revise Date 04 February 2023
  • Accept Date 18 February 2023