Two steps forward, one step back? Strengthening the foundations of women’s leadership in higher education

It has been 50 years since Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act ended legal employment discrimination on the basis of race and sex, and more than 40 years since Title IX prohibited sex-based discrimination in education. In the U.S., women earn more bachelors and advanced degrees than men and women are as likely as men to be employed. Yet, similar to business, law, and politics, highly visible women leaders in higher education remain the exception. This essay argues that overt bias, most easily addressed by policy and law, has been driven underground and replaced by a more subtle form of institutional discrimination expressed as normative institutional rules and practices. Drawing from research on gender equity and academic leadership, this paper argues that these obstacles to women’s advancement will need to be exposed and redefined for everyone before women can enjoy benefits equally with men. In the interim, opportunities exist for women as individuals to be more proactive in acquiring leadership skills and experience. Similarly, institutions must be proactive in adopting strategies to accelerate the progress of women into top leadership positions while simultaneously advancing important structural and cultural changes.