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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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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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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.
………………………………………… ………............................
SIGNATURE DATE
(MS C B ZULU)
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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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