Leadership Foundation

Project Outcomes

University of Southampton
Women professors as intellectual leaders

Click on the above report to download the outcome of this project

This Small Development Project was commissioned to inform the development of programmes and policies in HEIs to address the under-representation of women within the professoriat, by exploring the ways in which women professors define their identity and role as academic leaders. The researchers found that while all professors, mostly define their main roles in terms of academic knowledge production, women professors are more likely to also identity an academic citizenship role. Women, particularly in the STEM subject areas – were there are fewer women, feel obligated to also undertake service roles and activities. The researchers indicate that this ‘academic housework’ is something that all professors should do. In their recommendations the authors of the report, state that universities need to pay more attention to defining the role of a professor beyond the criteria for becoming a professor. By understanding this professorial role in a far more comprehensive way, they suggest, could be critical in ensuring that women are not disadvantaged.

Click here to see how the universities of Bristol and Southampton have defined how universities can make better use of academic citizenship through improved policies that enable the recognition and rewarding of staff for their commitment.

Read the original proposal