Women University Presidents: Working Within Bourdieu's Model of Cultural Capital

• In Event: Research and Practice in Higher Education Governance

Abstract

Twenty-four of 154 public research universities within the Carnegie Classification of Doctoral Universities: Higher and Highest Research are led by a woman president. Using Bourdieu’s (1986; 2001) model of cultural capital as a theoretical framework, eight of the women presidents were interviewed to identify their experiences negotiating a patriarchal culture of leadership. Findings of the narrative study indicated that women presidents navigate in three spheres: Becoming a Member, Leading as a Member, and Staying a Member. The findings from the narrative study show the success of women presidents, and ways they navigate within the lens of gender.

Authors

• Tania Reis, Gannon University

• Marilyn L. Grady, University of Nebraska-Lincoln