Comparing public policies in Higher Ed to bring women to the board
The purpose of this study is to compare academic leadership prospects for women in four countries: Germany, Poland, Norway, and Sweden.
Taking women on boards: a comparative analysis of public policies in higher education
The number of female students enrolled in public universities is increasing, and the number of women in leadership roles at public universities is also rising. However, females are underrepresented in top managerial roles at public universities despite increasing public calls for gender equality and diversity.
Research questions
- What (if any) policy instruments are chosen to increase the number of female leaders in HE?
- What extent does this choice of instruments mirror either sectorial logic (HE) or national policy styles?
To give universities incentive to carry out excellent research anywhere and among female academics, governments have enacted legislative proposals and budgetary measures advancing gender equality as a major budgeting criterion. Using the regulatory framework of government policy, the study finds key structural conditions that enable or hinder female representation in academia.
Findings
As a consequence, the findings suggest that national policies styles must be regarded as factors enabling and discouraging gender equality in higher education as a means to translate diffused models decisively. To conclude it is important to note that despite the emphasis placed on gender equality in Nordic countries, the academic profession is still largely dominated by men, albeit much less so than in other countries.
Citation: Tanja Klenk, Dominik Antonowicz, Lars Geschwind, Rómulo Pinheiro & Anna Pokorska (2022) Taking women on boards: a comparative analysis of public policies in higher education, Policy Reviews in Higher Education, DOI: 10.1080/23322969.2022.2066014