Journal Screenshot

International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management Sciences

Open Access Journal

ISSN: 2226-3624

Perceived Traits for Future Women Academic Leaders in Malaysian Higher Education Institutions

Nur Idayu Badrolhisam, Norhayati Omar, Nur'ain Achim

http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJAREMS/v11-i1/11692

Open access

Malaysian higher education institutions are currently dominated by the female gender, according to the Ministry of Higher Education 2020's statistics. However, the number of women academics becoming top leaders such as Vice-Chancellor, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Dean, and such is still lacking behind other countries. Many factors hinder women academics from climbing up positions like patriarchal perceptions, socio-cultural biases, balancing work-life, or their personality – e.g., lack of self-confidence. When we addressed the traits of leaders, women academics should possess exceptional leadership traits that can help them become effective leaders in the future. Hence, the main purpose of this study is to identify perceived traits of women academics to become leaders in Malaysian higher education institutions. Nevertheless, the population in this study was limited to Malaysian public universities only, with 96 respondents from both genders. The study method was a descriptive and quantitative method that used simple random sampling based on Cochran's formula for an unknown population. Several limitations are discussed to help future research expand the literature on women academics in the Malaysian context. Overall, the research questions of this study have been answered thoroughly, and the study concluded that regardless of socio-cultural settings, women academics will always be associated with feminist traits of leadership.

Abdallah, J., & Jibai, S. (2020). Women In Leadership: Gender Personality Traits And Skills. Business Excellence and Management, 10(1), 5-15.
Almaki, S. H., Silong, A. D., Idris, K., & Wahat, W. A. (2016). Effective Leadership Practices of Muslim Women Academic Leaders. The Social Sciences, 11(9), 2217-2229.
Arik, E., & Akboga, S. (2018). Women's Studies in the Muslim World: A Bibliometric Perspective. Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, 1-15.
Airini, Collings, S., Conner, L., McPherson, K., Midson, B., & Wilson, C. (2011). Learning to Be Leaders in Higher Education: What Helps or Hinders Women’s Advancement as Leaders in Universities. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 39(1), 44-62.
Bagilhole, B., & White, K. (2011). Gender, Power and Management: A Cross-Cultural Analysis of
Higher Education. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.
Bernama. (2021). Roziah Mohd Janor appointed First Woman vice-chancellor of UiTM. Selangor Journal. Retrieved December 10, 2021, from https://selangorjournal.my/2021/09/roziah-mohd-janor-appointed-first-woman-vice-chancellor-of-uitm/
BlackChen, M. (2015). To Lead or Not to Lead: Women Achieving Leadership Status in Higher Education. Advancing Women in Leadership, 35, 153-159.
Carvalho, T., & de Lurdes Machado, M. (2010). Gender and shifts in higher education managerial regimes. Australian Universities' Review, 52(2), 32-42.
Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2021). If Women Are Better Leaders, Then Why Are They Not In Charge? Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/tomaspremuzic/2021/03/07/if-women-are-better-leaders-then-why-are-they-not-in-charge/?sh=1c3e52a26c88
Chin, J. L. (2011). Women and Leadership: Transforming Visions and Current Contexts. Forum on Public Policy.
Cochran, W. G. (1977). Sampling techniques (3rd Edition ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Dea, M., & Shibeshi, A. (2015). Exploring Gender Stereotypes through Managerial Process:
Implication for Women Advancement, in Case of WolaitaSodo University. Open Access Library Journal, 2, 1-20.
Eagly, A. H., & Johannesen-Schmidt, M. C. (2001). The Leadership Styles of Women and Men. Journal of Social Issues, 57(4), 781-797.
Eagly, A. H., Karau, S. J., and Makhijani, M. G. (1995). Gender and the effectiveness of leaders: A
meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 117, 125-145.
Evers, A., & Sieverding, M. (2015). Academic career intention beyond the PhD: can the theory of
planned behavior explain gender differences? Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 45, 158-172.
Fowler, C. A. (2019). Nevertheless, She Persists: Women Leadership in Higher Education. The Patton College of Education of Ohio University.
Hacifazlio?lu, Ö. (2010). Entry and Transition to Academic Leadership: Experiences of Women Leaders from Turkey and the U.S. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practices, 10(4), 2257-2273.
Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2013). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling: Rigorous Applications, Better Results and Higher Acceptance. Long Range Planning, 46, 1-12.
Harford, J. (2018). The Perspectives of Women Professors on the Professoriate: A Missing Piece
in the Narrative on Gender Equality in the University. Education Sciences, 8(2), 50. DOI:10.3390/educsci8020050
Hashim, Y. A. (2010). Determining Sufficiency Of Sample Size In Management Survey Research Activities. International Journal of Organisational Management & Entrepreneurship Development, 6(1), 119-130.
Hejase, H. J., Haddad, Z., Hamdar, B., Massoud, R., & Farha, G. (2013). Female Leadership: An Exploratory Research from Lebanon. American Journal of Scientific Research(86), 28-52.
Kasim, R. R. (2010). The relationship of strategic leadership characteristics, gender issues and the transformational leadership among institutions of higher learning in Malaysia. Retrieved from Cite Seer X: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.608.4102&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Kiamba, J. M. (2008). Women and Leadership Positions: Social and Cultural Barriers to Success. Wagadu: Journal of International Women's Studies, 6, 7-26.
Latif, A., & Abdul, M. (2017). The impact of Rusnani Concept Mapping (RCM) on Academic Achievement and Clinical Practices Among Diploma Nursing Students. Education in Medicine Journal, 9(4), 1-12.
Macfarlane, B. (2018). Women Professors as Intellectual Leaders. London: The Leadership Foundation.
Mayer, C. H., Oosthuizen, R. M., & Surtee, S. (2017). Emotional intelligence in South African
women leaders in higher education. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 43(1), 1-12.
Mclendon, A. (2018). An Analysis of the Self-Perceptions of Women Leaders in Higher Education. Graduate Theses and Dissertations. The University of South Florida.
Memon, M. A., Ting, H., Hwa, J. C., Thurasamy, R., Chuah, F., & Tat, H. C. (2020). Sample Size for Survey Research: Review and Recommendations. Journal of Applied Structural Equation Modeling, 4(2), i-xx.
Minister of Higher Education Malaysia. (2020). Macro Higher Education Institutions. Retrieved from Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education: https://www.mohe.gov.my/muat-turun/statistik/2020/492-statistik-pendidikan-tinggi-2020-03-bab-1-makro-institusi-pendidikan-tinggi/file
Mohajeri, B., Mokhtar, M., & Balash, F. (2015). Challenges Encountering the Participation Of
Women in Senior Administrative Status in Higher Education. International Education Studies, Vol. 8(13), 9-16.
Morley, L., Berma, M., & Abdul Hamid, B. (2017). Managing Modern Malaysia: Women in Higher Education Leadership. In H. Eggins, The Changing Role of Women in Higher Education: Academic and Leadership Issues (pp. 137-154). Springer.
Mulud, Z. A. (2017). Analysis of Likert Scale- Mean Score. The Impact of Rusnani Concept Mapping (RCM) On Academic Achievement and Clinical Practices Among Diploma Nursing Students.
Ng, K.-Y., Ang, S., & Chan, K.-Y. (2008). Personality and leader effectiveness: A moderated
mediation model of leadership self-efficacy, job demands, and job autonomy. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(4), 733-743.
Nguyen, T. L. H. (2013). Barriers to and Facilitators of Female Deans' Career Advancement In
Higher Education: An Exploratory Study in Vietnam. Higher Education, 66(1), 123-138.
Northouse, P. G. (2009). Leadership theory and practice. Sage Publications.
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. R. (1994). Psychometric theory (3 ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill.
Omar, A. (1993). Malaysia: Women Managers in Higher Education in Malaysian.
Commonwealth Secretariat, UNESCO, 197. Retrieved from http://collections.infocollections.org/ukedu/en/d/Js1421e/10.html
Pallant, J. (2001). SPSS survival manual - a step by step guide to data analysis using SPSS for Windows (version 10). Buckingham Open University Press.
Parker, P. (2015). The Historical Role of Women in Higher Education. Administrative Issues Journal, 5(1), 3-14.
Peterson, H. (2014). An Academic ‘Glass Cliff’?: Exploring the Increase of Women in Swedish
Higher Education Management. Athens Journal of Education, 1(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.30958/aje.1-1-3
Radu, C., Deaconu, A., & Fr?sineanu, C. (2017). Leadership and Gender Differences—Are Men and Women Leading in the Same Way? In A. Alvinius, Contemporary Leadership Challenges (pp. 63-82). Croatia: InTech.
Reis, T. C. (2015). Leadership Stories: Defining Gender in University Leadership. Journal of Women in Educational Leadership, 70.
Reis, T. C., & Grady, M. L. (2018). Women as University Presidents: Navigating the
Administrative Labyrinth. Leadership and Research in Education, 4, 97-113.
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, A. T. (2019). Organizational Behaviour. Pearson.
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2013). Research Methods for Business: A Skill-Building Approach (6th Edition ed.). New York: Wiley.
Sharma, Y. (2012). Easier for women to succeed internationally, says V-C. University World News.
Steward, J. M. (2009). Common Characteristics Of Women Leaders In Higher Education Administration. Retrieved from University of Oregon: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/36684885.pdf
Taber, K. S. (2018). The Use of Cronbach’s Alpha When Developing and Reporting Research Instruments in Science Education. Research in Science Education, 48(6), 1273-1296.
The American Federation of Teachers. (2011). Promoting Gender Diversity in the Faculty: What
Higher Education Unions Can Do.
The Star. (2006). U.M. gets first woman V-C. The Star. Retrieved from https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2006/04/22/um-gets-first-woman-vc
Vasilevskyte, G. (2016). Gender Leadership: Employees’ Attitudes Towards And Perceptions Of Female & Male Leaders In Lithuanian Businesses. Master Thesis. Copenhagen, Denmark: Copenhagen Business School.
Wakefield, S. (2017). Transformative and Feminist Leadership for Women's Rights. Oxfam America Research Backgrounder series. Retrieved from https://www.oxfamamerica.org/explore/research-publications/transformative-feminist-leadership-womens-rights
Wolverton, M., Bower, B. L., & Maldonado, C. (2006). Leading Ladies: Women University and College Presidents: What They Say about Effective Leadership. Journal of Women in Educational Leadership, 2, 54-68.
Y?ld?rm??, M. A., Seggie, F. N. N., Emil, S., & ?ahin, B. B. (2021). Women Leaders in Higher
Education in Turkey During the Pandemic: The Illusion of Gender Equality. In Women and Leadership in Higher Education During Global Crises (pp. 55-79). IGI Global.
Zaccaro, S. J. (2007). Trait-Based Perspectives of Leadership. American Psychologist, 62(1), 6-16.
Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2012). Are Women Better Leaders than Men? Retrieved from Harvard Business Review: https://hbr.org/2012/03/a-study-in-leadership-women-do

In-Text Citation: (Badrolhisam et al., 2022)
To Cite this Article: Badrolhisam, N. I., Omar, N., & Achim, N. (2022). Perceived Traits for Future Women Academic Leaders in Malaysian Higher Education Institutions. International Journal of Academic Research in Economics and Management and Sciences, 11(1), 219–239.