Representation of female academics in senior positions in institutions of higher learning in South Africa: The case of a semi-metropolitan university in Limpopo province.

Abstract

Employment opportunities for women have been made available in recent years around the world. However, female academics are still disadvantaged when it comes to promotions. This is evidenced by the higher number of male academics who occupy most of the senior positions in institutions of higher learning. This study explores how the academic promotion criteria is a factor that determines senior positions for men and women at a particular semi-metropolitan university situated in Limpopo province in South Africa. Feminist theories of gender, such as intersectionality, liberal feminism, African theory, Standpoint theory and Feminist theory, were used as frameworks for the study. The study uses a qualitative approach in collecting and analysing the data. In particular, focused ethnographic research was embarked upon as this method is applicable to any discipline whenever there is a desire to explore specific cultural perspectives held by groups of people (in this instance, female academics) within a specific problem-focused framework such as those female academics who are facing challenges when it comes to promotions. The population of the study comprised female academics aged between 25-60 years. A non-probability purposive and convenient sampling was used to select 20 female academics for semi-structured interviews which helped the researcher to evoke female academics’ voices on issues that affected them regarding promotions. Female academics were selected from both high and low levels of employment categories to establish reasons that appeared to negatively impact their upward mobility in academic achievements. Thematic analysis was applied, meaning that results are presented and discussed as themes and subthemes in this study. The study has the following findings: Most of the female academics continue to hold lower positions at work because of the promotion criteria which seems hostile towards their experiences and their roles as wives and their household responsibilities. It is therefore recommended that Universities should enforce a friendly environment that allows for gender parity, rather than the one that hinders women's personal, intellectual, and professional development. The community leaders and policymakers should also work together in advocating for gender-inclusive policies and legislation that promote equal opportunities for women in all spheres of life, including in institutions of higher learning and TVET’s (Technical and Vocational Educational Training Institutions).