Cultural Capital of Rwandan Women Scholars in Higher Education Research

• In Event: 64.070 - Scholars Disrupting Higher Education Research Status Quo in Indonesia, Myanmar, Rwanda, and the United Kingdom

Abstract

Using narrative inquiry, this research investigation examines Rwandan women leaders who are striving to change their country. It seeks to provide insight into the research question, “What is the status of women in higher educational leadership in Rwanda—their progress, successes, and challenges?”

While women have made positive strides in public service positions, where they represent over 65% of elected members of Parliament, little is documented about women’s impact in leadership in the education sector.

The purpose of this investigation was to begin to remedy the lack of empirical data related to Rwandan women in educational leadership by providing insight into their status. By interviewing both men and women who were qualified to provide observations into women’s status, a portrait emerged.

This investigation draws on African feminist theories that explicitly challenge Western theories of gender and focus on “post-colonial, indigenous…approaches” that emphasize agency, resilience, and persistence (Chilisa & Ntseane, p. 617-18). It seeks to highlight the voices of the women scholars and their experiences in navigating the policies of their institution as well as the cultural norms of society.
Using narrative inquiry, this investigation sought to memorialized and understand the experiences of the women through “a recursive, reflexive process of moving from field (with starting points in telling or living of stories) to field texts (data) to interim and final research texts [that] highlight ethical matters as well as new theoretical understandings of people’s experiences (Clandinin & Huber, 2010, p. 20).” Through multiple interviews conducted in the Kigali region, their stories emerged to serve as a means of beginning a broader query that may lead to insights into the issues women leaders face in Rwanda.

Analysis of documents and interviews with 15 individuals indicate that progress of women’s research and scholarship is expanding, but limited by many factors. Women make up less than 25% of the faculty members at the University of Rwanda and dominate the rank of senior lecturer over higher ranks. Several issues impede women’s progress as scholars. Four of the many include women’s smaller acceptance rate into higher education as undergraduates; the country’s lack of Ph.D. programs, thereby forcing women to leave the country in order to obtain the terminal degree; disproportional service expectations placed on women academics as compared to men that affect scholarly output; and society’s expectation for women’s responsibilities as wives and mothers regardless of career responsibilities or status. One of many discussion points is the theme of Transformation of Cultural Values and Societal Norms and this, along with others, will be elaborated on in the presentation.

These Rwandan women’s stories add to a body of empirical research that has emerged in numerous disciplines within the social sciences and natural sciences. No studies have been published that address the role of women in Rwandan higher education. This study, which the University of Rwanda considered a landmark investigation instantiated through the approval from the Rwandan Ministry of Education, provides insight into the status of women in higher education leadership by examining their progress, successes, and challenges.

Author

• Elizabeth C. Reilly, Loyola Marymount University