Gender Trends in Senior-Level Leadership: A 12-Year Analysis of the CCCU U.S. Member Institutions

Abstract

This article documents the continued gender disparities evident across U.S. higher education. While more women than men attend college and now obtain the majority of undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degrees, women continue to be underrepresented in senior-level institutional leadership roles. This phenomenon is particularly evident among the member institutions of the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU). Given that the CCCU's 108 U.S. member campuses serve a collective student body that is more than 60% female, such gender imbalances are striking, especially noting the commitment of Christ-centered campuses to foster organizational climates that value diversity and promote the success and well-being of all students. Data over a 12-year period (1998-2010) have been collected to document trends in the gender composition of the seniorlevel leadership teams on these campuses. Over that period, the average number of individuals serving at vice presidential or higher levels across these institutions increased from 5.3 to 5.9. The percent of men grew 20% over the period, while the percent of women serving on those leadership teams grew 161%-from 8.4% to 17% of the total serving in these senior leadership positions. On average across these campuses, the mean of male senior leaders in 2010 was 4.9; the mean of women serving was just under 1.0 (.99). The background, results, and discussion/implications sections present trends and themes related to the composition of CCCU presidents' leadership teams, with suggestions offered for changing the face of senior leadership in member institutions.Gender equity continues to be elusive in many sectors of U.S. society, despite a majority of women now participating in the labor force and more women than men attending college. Overall,

Contributors to Women's Leadership Development in Christian Higher Education: A Model and Emerging Theory

“…Whereas women hold 26% of U.S. college presidencies (American Council on Education, 2012), only six of the 118 CCCU member institutions (i.e., 5%) have female presidents (Porterfield, 2013). Within this same institutional membership, research by Longman and Lafreniere (2012) identified that although the majority (60%) of students attending CCCU institutions are female, the male-female ratio on senior-level leadership teams as of 2010 averaged 4.99 men to .99 women (Longman & Anderson, 2011).…”

“…Given the disparity between the demographics of the student population across CCCU institutions (60% female) and the average composition (17% female) of the senior leadership teams (Longman & Anderson, 2011), it is important to better understand the organizational culture of these institutions as well as the motivators, encouragers, and discouragers for women to move into leadership roles. This study was guided by the research question: What factors affect women's decisions about higher levels of positional leadership in Christian higher education?…”

Moving Beyond the Stained Glass Ceiling

“…In 2010, only six of 110 presidents were female, with the two most recent additions only in the 2009-2010 academic year. Given that the role of chief academic officer is the primary pathway to the presidency, it is notable that as of 2010, only 18 female chief academic officers in the CCCU were women (Longman & Anderson, in press). Trends in CCCU senior-level leadership from 1998 to 2010, analyzed by Longman and Anderson, documented that as of 2010, the average number of individuals serving in vice presidential roles or higher across the 108 U.S. member institutions was 4.9 men and .99 women; the percentage of institutions with no women in such executive positions was 33% (36 institutions) while the percentage with one woman in executive leadership was 44% (48 institutions).…”

Perceptions of Subtle Sexism in the Higher Education Workplace

“…The classroom and workplace climate at higher education institutions continues to be tense in many cases (Glazer-Raymo, 1999;Hall & Sandler, 1982;Sandler, 1997;Sandler et al, 1996). Recent research indicates that institutional sexism at colleges and universities is an ongoing problem (Ashlee et al, 2017;Diehl & Dzbunski, 2016;Fernandez et al, 2006;Lipton, 2015;Longman & Anderson, 2011;Ramirez, 2017;Savigny, 2014;Vaccaro, 2010;White et al, 2010). Vaccaro (2010) found that women in higher education, both students and employees, would like to have meaningful conversation about diversity while men in higher education, students and employees, are indifferent or hostile toward diversity initiatives.…”

“…White et al (2010) concluded that higher education senior administration continues to be a career path dominated by men and a major disadvantage for women in Europe. Longman and Anderson (2011) focused their research on gender trends as related to the Council for Christian Colleges & Universities (CCCU) in the United States. With a total of 108 institutions in the United States and a student body comprised of 60%…”