Breaking the Glass Ceiling Barriers: Personal Narrative of the Female Academic Leaders in Public Sector Universities

Abstract

The current study was conducted to explore the lived experiences of women academic leaders regarding various sociocultural challenges that hinder women leadership positions at the public sector universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study objectives were to know about various sociocultural challenges faced by women in leadership positions. An in-depth qualitative research design was adopted for a comprehensive understanding of the issue. The data was collected through a purposive sampling method from the ten respondents in the universities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The data was recorded, transcribed, coded, and then themes were generated from the respondents’ views. The study concluded that women face various challenges that stem primarily from deeply entrenched sociocultural norms, including gender bias, female lower financial autonomy, patriarchy, male dominance, negative perception of modernization, and the general perception that women are not committed to leadership roles due to their familial engagements and responsibilities. Furthermore, the pardah and hijab culture and institutional discrimination based on gender are the factors that hinder women's leadership positions at universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study recommended comprehensive interventions to address both cultural biases and institutional discrimination based on gender that hinder women's progression to leadership positions at universities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.