Leadership Emergence: Lessons from female educational leaders in Australian Higher Education

While there is evidence of an increasingly feminised workforce in Australian academia and an increasing number of women leaders in higher education, a far higher proportion of males than females still fill leadership roles. Several recent studies have set out to examine and analyse the leadership styles of women leaders in higher education in order to better understand and inform models for women who aspire to positions of leadership in higher education. There has been little research, however, on the question of the personality of leaders, their developmental characteristics or how certain people grow up to be leaders. The aim of this project is to explore the autobiographical perspectives and responses of five respected female figures in educational leadership in Australian higher education. This paper focuses on the findings from one subsidiary question: What factors led to these women becoming leaders? The research is a qualitative study using a narrative inquiry research design as a means to elicit the lived experience of the five female educational leaders. The primary method of collecting data was by elite interviews as it is considered a very good way of accessing people’s perceptions and constructions of reality and it allows participants to answer in their own terms thus providing the rich context that is the substance of their experiences. Early influences that emerged include the socio-economic status of the family of origin, birth order, schooling and reading, the impact of parents and the opportunities and hindrances afforded by the broader social and cultural contexts. The approach of the female leaders to their careers is also examined. Implications and possible application of this study to female aspirants to educational leadership in higher education are discussed.

Key Phrase: Leadership emergence, higher education, female educational leadership