Leading women : the positive impact of women and leadership programs

Women are in the majority as both students and staff in many universities worldwide but are still under-represented at the senior and management levels. Leadership development programs for women staff are in place in many universities with the aim of increasing the percentage of women in senior and decision-making positions. In Australia in 2005: 23% of vice chancellors were women; 40% of academic staff were women but only 17% of professors were women; 63% of non-academic staff were women but only 38% of those staff in senior managerial positions were women. Increasing the percentage of women in senior positions is not only a matter of social and professional justice, but makes good business sense based on women's increasing participation in the labour market and as students, their increasing economic power, and competition for high quality staff. Much has been written about gender equality programs, however little research has been undertaken to evaluate the impact of these programs, and even less has been published in scholarly journals. Affirmative action in Australia has been legislated for more than twenty years, and although some gains have been achieved, gender equity in higher education still remains an issue. Whether in support of the well-documented business case, or for social justice reasons, leadership development programs for women are not yet redundant, and continue to make a significant contribution to the development and enhancement of women's participation in the higher education sector. Research was undertaken to evaluate the impact of the Women and Leadership Program at the University of South Australia and to determine whether it made a difference to the working lives of women who participated. The study found that program participants are more likely to remain employed at the University and women reported a number of positive changes in their working lives which they attribute to their involvement in the program. The evidence indicates the program is a key factor in women moving into senior and decision-making positions within the University. A later evaluation of the Women in Leadership Program at Griffith University found that participants in the program are retained at a higher rate than other staff and academic women participants are more successful when they apply for promotion. Participants also report a number of positive changes in their working lives which they attribute to involvement in the program.This paper outlines the findings of the studies undertaken of the Women and Leadership Program at the University of South Australia and the Women in Leadership Program at Griffith University.