Women Leadership in Higher Educational Management

Abstract

The role of women worldwide is undergoing a dramatic change. Women today share the podium with men in almost all the fields, be it in the kitchen or in the armed services. Working women are no longer a rarity and are now accepted as an integral part of the working force. Indian organizations and educational institutions have also experienced a steady increase in the number of women at managerial position and this pattern is bound to continue in the future as well. Women in educational management are finally coming of age. The transformation of the Indian woman from an enigmatic figure covered in meters of fabric, to today’s educated, successful and accomplished professional has not been without great personal sacrifices. This image is as real and alive as the arduous path she has traveled to arrive at her current destination. These are women who have broken shackles thousands of years old, who have walked a previously non traversed path, who have had the courage to make new beginnings and pay the price for the choices they have made. With reference to the above, the authors attempt to carry out interviews of ten successful women in higher educational management in Gandhinagar, Ahmedabad and Mehsana city of Gujarat state. This paper covers in-depth interviews of the so called women leaders who have contributed immense success in the higher education management area. The paper attempts to unearth major barriers, both external and internal, imperative characteristics and suggestions on the basis of practical interviews and well supported research data from India and abroad. It also focuses on various managerial qualities required to be successful administrators in the field of higher education in particular. It also discusses several challenges to women educational managers in their path of success. Qualitative research analysis has been considered for the purpose of data analysis. Last but not least, this study attempts to establish valuable and expensive suggestions for future women educational mangers in India in comparison to the scenario abroad. The paper also analyzes the initiatives taken by government and management in this regard. The approach of this study is conceptual based on a descriptive type. Over and above all this, extensive current literary evidences will give an immense support for the present research paper.

Keywords: Women in Higher Education, Education Institutions

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