Microsoft Word doctoral thesis final[1]. doc

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i
 
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT IN HIGHER 
 
EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM 
 
 
by 
 
 
 
CONSTANCE BENEDICTA ZULU 
 
 
submitted in accordance with the requirements 
for the degree of 
 
 
DOCTOR OF EDUCATION 
 
 
in the subject 
 
 
 
EDUCATION MANAGEMENT 
 
at the 
 
 
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA 
 
PROMOTER: PROFESSOR E M LEMMER 
JUNE 2007 

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ii
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT 
 
 
 
 
IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM 
 
 
 
 
 
BY 
 
 
 
 
CONSTANCE B. ZULU 
 

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iii
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
      Student 
number: 
479-951-8 
 
 
I declare that  A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF WOMEN IN MANAGEMENT IN 
HIGHER EDUCATION IN SOUTH AFRICA AND THE UNITED KINGDOM 
is my own work and that all the sources that I have used or quoted have been indicated 
and acknowledged by means of complete references. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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SIGNATURE                                                                              DATE 
(MS C B ZULU) 
 

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iv
Summary 
 
Despite a growing body of literature on women in leadership, few studies have 
empirically investigated the leadership and management experiences of female academic 
heads of department. It is against this background that this study investigated the 
experiences of these women in universities in South Africa and the United Kingdom. The 
position of women in higher education in these countries, together with the status of their 
representation in senior positions in the academe and obstacles to their advancement into 
such positions was reviewed. The study was carried out within the framework of a cross-
sectional survey research design employing both quantitative (questionnaire) and 
qualitative (interview) data collection methods. The study consisted of thirty two female 
participants who were either currently or previously heads of academic departments in 
universities. For the interview a separate group of nine female academic heads of 
department, from the same universities as the participants in the survey, were selected. 
Purposeful sampling was used to select all the participants. A structured, pre-coded 
questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from one group of twenty three female 
participants with a minimum of two years’ experience in the position. A video conference 
focus group interview was used to obtain in-depth (qualitative) information on a number 
of selected issues. The quantitative data was analysed using a relevant statistical package. 
Key-findings from both survey and interviews were then co-ordinated. The major 
findings indicated that, apart from lack of mentorship and formal preparation for the 
position, the women did not experience any major obstacles prior to becoming head of 
department. The women were confident about several skills related to managing an 
academic department. They were not certain, however, about stress management, 
delegation and entrepreneurial skills. Leadership style tended toward ‘interactive 
leadership’ which is considered appropriate for today’s leadership in organisations. The 
findings suggested that institutional and other barriers to women’s advancement still 
exist, and that the challenges and demands women experience may be a source of stress 
and tension for them. Recommendations, using these findings, were made for aspiring 
women managers, for institutions, for policy makers and for future research.  
 
 

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