Female Representation in Senior Positions Within Private and Public Institutions in the Third-level Education Sector in Ireland.

Abstract

In the past years, female representation in the work environment discussions have increased and become more prominent. This study investigates the representation of women in senior roles within third-level educational institutions in Ireland, with a particular focus on the barriers and enablers that influence gender diversity in leadership. Despite global advancements in gender equality, women remain significantly underrepresented in the highest levels of academia, a phenomenon often attributed to the "Glass Ceiling." This research aims to investigate the current extent of female representation within a localised context for leading positions in Irish colleges and universities and analyse the impact of existing gender diversity initiatives and the cultural and organisational challenges.

This research mainly adopted a positivist research philosophy integrated with a pragmatic view, allowing a value-free analysis of responses and comparison with literature and empirical data gathered from other sources, such as the Athena SWAN Charter, Central Statistics Office, and the HEA National Gender Equality Review. Through a mixed-methods approach, including an online survey and open comments, over 950 staff members from public and private institutions were invited to participate and contribute to this study, where 175 participants provided a 29% response rate. Based on findings, this study highlights gaps in the literature regarding the historical context, the cultural sphere and society, gender and diversity, the “Glass Ceiling” theory, ESG and CG for institutions, analysing the intersectionality of gender and the effectiveness of gender diversity initiatives over time, offering recommendations for industry practitioners and researchers, providing a deeper insight into how Governance and initiatives impact the workforce perception and how this varies between genders.

This research contributes to the ongoing discourse on gender equality in academia by providing empirical evidence from the Irish context and identifying critical areas for further exploration, such as a qualitative study and the extension of the sentiment analysis, underscoring the importance of sustained efforts to create an inclusive environment where women can thrive in senior leadership roles, enhancing the overall effectiveness, innovation of educational institutions, and efforts to close the gender gap in leadership roles, ensuring that the progress is not only maintained but accelerated.