Diverse experiences of women leading in higher education: locating networks and agency for leadership within a university context in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

The ways in which women deliberately press back against practices of oppression and demonstrate agency in higher education institutions are highly contextual and culturally bound. The formal and informal networks that women develop and maintain are important elements of generating agency and enhancing women's access to and opportunities for leadership. This article presents a case study from research that explored women's leadership experiences in a higher education context in the Pacific Islands – Papua New Guinea. Situated within a feminist poststructural methodology, the research examined women's experiences of leadership and considered aspects that influenced women's access to formal leadership roles. The findings illustrated that the women faced numerous barriers to formal leadership opportunities. A range of culturally and contextually located approaches supported women to demonstrate agency with regard to their own leadership development and practice. This research highlighted the importance of considering the relationship between networks and agency and the impact of associated cultural and contextual practices within organisations, providing insights into the culturally located complexities of women's leadership in higher education contexts.

Keywords:

• agency
• gender
• higher education
• leadership
• social justice

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the contributions of the women leaders involved in the research who generously gave their time and comments, enabling this research to happen. We would also like to acknowledge the detailed supportive feedback on the draft manuscript from colleagues and reviewers as conceptual and theoretical understandings for this paper were developed and crafted.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.