IDENTIFYING BARRIERS WOMEN FACE ASSUMING LEADERSHIP POSITIONS IN HIGHER EDUCATION IN SAUDI ARABIA

Abstract

The higher education sector in Saudi Arabia has experienced significant growth and development in recent years, making it increasingly crucial for women to assume leadership positions. The purpose of this study was to examine female Saudi faculty members’ perceptions regarding identifying the most common barriers that they experienced to obtain senior leadership positions in higher education. A quantitative descriptive design was used to provide a comprehensive analysis of these barriers in terms of personal, professional, and cultural concepts and to gather the data in this study. An online survey was used to capture 74 responses from female faculty members who are working at the University of Hfar Alabatin in Saudi Arabia. The findings of this study indicated that personal and professional barriers were identified as the most important barriers facing academic women leaders, while cultural barriers were identified as less important. The study also discusses additional findings. Moreover, this study provides some recommendations for practices and further research to empower Saudi women to assume better opportunities in their educational roles.