An Era of Empowerment: A Mixed Methods Study Exploring Leadership Experiences of Collegiate Females in Saudi Public Universities

Abstract

Saudi Arabia has been at the cusp of significant changes recently. One major change is the increased visibility of Saudi women leaders. In such light, this mixed-methods study sought to explore how Saudi female college students conceptualize, define and experience leadership. Particularly, how do Saudi women, in this age and while in college, understand the phenomenon of leadership as it pertains to socio-cultural factors and prevalent gender essentialist worldviews. This study was conducted in two major public universities. The qualitative stream of inquiry explored the stories of 25 Saudi female college students. The quantitative stream of inquiry focused on surveying the opinions of 256 collegiate women. The findings illustrate that: a) college women hold different definitions of leadership as they are positively influenced by home upbringing, school, college, and social media exposure, b) cultural norms and gender bias influences the way college women experience and understand leadership in different ways, and c) some college women experience informal leadership opportunities in college as they are becoming increasingly interested in leadership. The findings have important implications for university leaders, higher education policymakers, and student affairs officials on college campuses regarding the improvement of leadership education and training for the female population