Examining the career paths of women vice deans in Saudi higher education

According to the Centre for Education Statistics in Saudi Arabia, women are under-represented in academia, particularly among the higher academic ranks such as associate professors, and full professors. Likewise, Saudi women academics have shown there to be a lack of representation in senior leadership positions. The majority of women academics can reach the highest possible position as a college vice dean. This study examines the status of Saudi women working as college vice-deans (VDs) in the field of higher education to provide an in-depth understanding of their career progression and the features that shape this route. Looking specifically at a university in Saudi Arabia, this work explores the experiences of female VDs and elicits their own perceptions of their career paths within the academic world, along with what advances and hinders their career progression. A mixed methods approach was used which included analysing the content of institutional documents by examining the institutional legislations and policies, as well as interviewing 14 female (VDs). There were 54 closed-ended Likert-Scale questionnaires provided from the female Heads of Department (HoDs) who have direct dealings with the female VDs, and who are familiar with aspects of their managerial life in the college. The data obtained indicates that a lack of preparation for management posts and the lack of authority of the women VDs were perceived as the main challenges in the career lives of the women in reference to their college vice-deanship position. Many of the female VD participants experienced delays in promotion and in being considered eligible for advancing their rank. The interviews clarified the reasons stated for this delay in their rank upgrade, including a lack of research productivity. This study recommends tackling the lack of authority by expanding their authority. In addition, introducing a specific deadline by the university for academics for the purpose of research production and easing their managerial loads would help to increase their research productivity and in turn help to advance the women’s academic rank. Combined, these may help to advance the careers of women VDs in Saudi Arabia and enable them to overcome the institutional difficulties while providing the required support to enable them to advance along their career paths