Challenging the Glass Ceiling: Female Leadership and Organizational Culture in African Higher Education

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 8, August 2026 | pp. 92–104

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001291

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Challenging the Glass Ceiling: Female Leadership and Organizational Culture in African Higher Education

Names of Author: Prof. Efua Mensah¹

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for Gender Studies and Advocacy (CEGENSA), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra, Ghana.

Abstract:
Over the past two decades, higher education institutions across Africa have witnessed steady growth in female student enrollment and early-career academic recruitment. However, senior leadership positions—including vice-chancellors, deans, and research directors—remain overwhelmingly dominated by men. Institutional policies that appear gender-neutral often mask informal networks of male patronage, disproportionate administrative service burdens on female faculty, and rigid promotion criteria that penalize caregiving responsibilities. This paper investigates the structural and cultural barriers impeding women’s progression into executive academic leadership in Ghanaian and Nigerian public universities. Anchored in gendered organization theory, the research draws upon career-history interviews with 30 senior female academics and institutional policy audits. The study reveals that while formal affirmative action frameworks exist on paper, transformative gender equity requires dismantling patriarchal mentorship models, institutionalizing family-friendly research grants, and establishing transparent leadership succession pipelines.

Keywords: Higher education, female leadership, glass ceiling, organizational culture, gender equity, academia, Ghana, Nigeria

Manuscript Timeline: Received: June 01, 2026; Revised: July 08, 2026; Accepted: July 11, 2026; Published: August 14, 2026.

Citation: Mensah, E. (2026). Challenging the Glass Ceiling: Female Leadership and Organizational Culture in African Higher Education. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(8), 92–104. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001291

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