INTERACTIVE: Universities need more women at the top

There's a growing number of women lecturers in Malaysian public universities, rising by 10.6% from 2014 to 2023.

PETALING JAYA: Women may make up the bulk of lecturers in public universities, but when it comes to the top leadership, their numbers trail behind men.

Last year, female lecturers made up almost 60% (17,981) of the 30,432 lecturers in Malaysia’s 20 public universities.

But it’s the opposite at the top – only 36% of those at the university management level or executive committee are women.

Posts at this level include the vice-chancellor (VC) and deputy VCs who oversee student affairs, development, as well as research and innovation.

This has led experts and women’s groups to call for more measures to help women rise to the top, to create a better balance in leadership.

But the good news is that the number of female lecturers has been steadily increasing by the year.

It’s a spike of 10.6% from 2014 to 2023, based on data from the Higher Education Ministry.

However, at the helm, women are outnumbered. Of the total 213 top posts in all 20 universities, only 35.7% were women.

This is based on a check by The Star at the official website of each of the public universities.

Here's a look at how women are still underrepresented at the decision-making level.

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Giving women a boost

Groups representing women are urging for more to be done to have a higher proportion of women at the top management.

At least 50% of a university’s decision-making level should be filled with women leaders, they suggest.

“It is encouraging that women hold 36% of top posts in universities, exceeding Malaysia’s target of 30% for women in leadership positions,” said Women's Aid Organisation (WAO) senior research officer (data) Wani Hamzah.

“But there is still room for improvement, especially since women outnumber men as lecturers.”

Proportionally, it would make sense if there were more women in leadership to represent the current situation, she added.

Because women now make up 60% of lecturers in public universities, aiming for a 60:40 ratio of women to men in the top management would ensure better representation and equitable opportunities, Wani said.

All Women’s Action Society (Awam) deputy president Khairiah Abdul Malik said the current 36% of women at top posts in universities highlighted a significant gender imbalance.

“While 36% reflects progress, aiming for a 50-50 ratio can create a leadership structure that better represents the academic community’s demographics,” she said.

She said pushing for a 50-50 ratio of women and men at the top also aligned with evidence that gender diversity in leadership improved organisational outcomes.

“According to the World Economic Forum, companies with gender-diverse leadership outperform their less diverse counterparts.

“They report higher operating margins, better return on sales, and more effective decision-making processes,” Khairiah added.

Monash University Malaysia School of Arts and Social Sciences School graduate research director and professor of Gender Studies, Sharon A. Bong, said it was necessary to have gender quotas in favour of women to level a non-level playing field.

“I would argue for the sense and sensibility of expanding the target of top posts being filled with more women at public and private universities,” she said.

Bong said a mandatory gender quota for a limited period would be strategic when it complemented efforts to fix systemic discriminations based on gender or ethnicity.

Examples of such discrimination are women generally earning less than men for the same job or position and women generally burdened with disproportionate caregiving, resulting in disadvantageous career breaks.

“The longer-term measures that are aimed at inculcating a workplace culture that sincerely respects diversity, equity and inclusion are important to avoid tokenism,” Bong added.

Girl power in lecture halls

Nevertheless, all 20 universities saw an increase in the number of women lecturers over the past 10 years, from 2014 to 2023.

The university with the biggest jump in women was Universiti Teknologi Malaysia, with its female teaching cohort increasing by nine percentage points.

One reason for the spike in women lecturers was the higher percentage of female students enrolling in tertiary education, which began to surpass males since the late 1990s, said WAO’s Wani.

“As more women obtained advanced degrees, they became eligible for academic positions, especially in public universities,” she said.

Calling it “positive evolution”, Wani said the trend of women being the majority among lecturers was also evident in private universities.

“Women make up a significant portion of the academic workforce in both public and private educational institutions, with women representing 54.3% of the academic labour force,” she said.

Historically, she said women have often taken on the role of educators, particularly in early childhood and primary education.

“This trend has extended into higher education, where women continue to play a significant role in teaching and nurturing students.

“The growing number of women lecturers highlights the valuable contributions women make to the academic community,” Wani added.

However, she said it was also important for men to join this field to break away from traditional gender roles that place women as nurturers.

Awam’s Khairiah said the higher number of women lecturers was also in line with the rise of women researchers and students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) courses.

“This shows the improved social status and recognition of women as vital contributors to the nation's socioeconomic development,” she said.

She said initiatives such as providing aid to parents who keep their daughters in school, building or improving school facilities, and developing programmes to reduce gender disparities have also effectively expanded their opportunities in the academic workforce.

How do we bridge the gap?

It’s crucial to continue addressing barriers that prevent women from reaching top positions.

Universiti Sains Malaysia Centre for Research on Women and Gender senior lecturer Dr Zaireeni Azmi said traditional gender norms in various societies assigned women greater domestic responsibilities, which can conflict with the demands of high-level management roles.

“Some women refuse to take up leadership roles because of these responsibilities.

“Other reasons include the perception that leadership traits align more with masculine characteristics, resulting in women being overlooked for executive positions,” she said.

However, Zaireeni said equal access, equal space, and equal opportunities should be available for both men and women.

WAO’s Wani said other challenges faced by women were biases in hiring practices and the lack of support for balancing work and family responsibilities.

“This may be why women’s representation in leadership in academia is lacking.

“By fostering an inclusive culture and implementing policies that support women’s advancement, we can move closer to true gender equality in academia,” she said.

One way to close the gender gap in university leadership is by providing women with leadership training and mentoring so that they can take on bigger roles.

Wani said a lot of effort in leadership roles involves networking, which women may not have access to due to unpaid care work at home.

In Malaysia, where family obligations are deeply rooted, she said supportive work-life balance policies can make leadership roles more accessible to women.

“Policies that allow the redistribution of care work from women to men, such as family leave, can help women balance their professional and personal responsibilities, enabling them to thrive in academic careers,” said Wani.

“Achieving gender equality in leadership within universities can serve as a model for broader societal change, challenging traditional gender norms and promoting egalitarian values,” she added.

Wani said Malaysians may also need to shift their thinking about leadership skill sets when identifying leaders.

“Moving from a male-centric view of leadership to more subtle, nurturing qualities allows space for conversation.

“By rethinking what makes a good leader and their characteristics, we can create more opportunities for women,” she said.

Awam’s Khairiah said some organisations have implemented deliberate succession planning that includes women and fostering environments where women can thrive professionally.

“Similar strategies could be adopted by Malaysian universities to ensure equitable representation,” she said.

Until female leadership is given a boost, here's a detailed look at the gender breakdown in each university's top management: