A gender milestone: First women presidents in U.S. higher education institutions

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In today’s tense higher education landscape, one may wonder why anyone would take on the role of a university or college president. Indeed, even before the recent accusations against women academics, women who sought to or served as executive leaders of higher education institutions (HEIs) faced gender bias, racial discrimination, and other challenges.

Despite this, the number of women presidents in HEIs tripled from 9.5% to 33% between 1986 and 2023. In addition to the personal and professional satisfaction of taking on leadership roles, HEIs led by women tend to become more democratic, communal, and inclusive for all higher education stakeholders. While women in the United States have earned more bachelor’s degrees than men and surpassed men in most graduate-level degrees, they remain underrepresented in nearly all higher education leadership roles, particularly the most public‐facing and highest‐ranking leadership position – the presidency.

In an article we published in Sociology Compass, we use an event history analysis to examine whether and when HEIs had a first woman president from 1980 to 2018 for a national probability sample of 234 four‐year U.S. universities and colleges. At a time of growing diversity—and backlash—we argue that the HEI presidency represents a milestone for colleges and universities to reach in the pursuit of gender equality in all its forms. How close are American colleges and universities to achieving this goal? And what transformations in HEIs might explain why some have ever had a woman president while others have yet to reach this milestone?

Growth Over Time, But Far from Universal

We find both good and bad news when looking at the percentage of institutions with a first woman president within our sample of U.S. HEIs. On the one hand, there has been a steady increase in first women presidents between 1980 and 2018. Counting HEIs that already had a first woman president or installed one in 1980, just under 15% of HEIs had ever had a woman president. By 2018, that number had increased to 56%. While that may seem high, put another way, 44% of HEIs in our sample still had yet to appoint a woman president.

As women-identifying researchers at Stanford University, we can empathize—Stanford has not had a woman president since its founding in 1885. In April 2024, Stanford announced that its new president would be Stanford alum and business school dean, Jonathan Levin. Included in a group known as the Ivy Plus, Stanford departs significantly from the Ivy League when it comes to women in the top leadership positions. Last fall, 6 out of the 8 Ivy League universities were led by women (sadly, two have since been pushed out), and several of these HEIs had previously had women presidents. What organizational characteristics explain why some have had a woman president?

Identifying Social and Cultural Mechanisms of Change

While prior research has focused on individual-level processes of gender bias, we consider explanations related to broader organizational and societal changes. First, students and faculty have contributed to social transformations on various social issues inside and outside the academy. Over time, as more women enter higher education, there has been an increase in women faculty. As more women earn tenure, they are more likely to leave academia than their male counterparts. Those who stay and get promoted to full professors may be considered for top leadership posts. Do these demographic changes within HEIs coincide with more women presidents?

A second set of organizational changes relates to women- and diversity-related structures. For most of the history of higher education, women were marginalized as students and faculty. Similarly, research and courses by, for, and about women were unheard of until the first women’s studies courses and programs were established in the U.S. in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Such programs legitimize women’s academic knowledge. As such, HEIs with gender studies may be more likely to seek women for their most powerful roles. Likewise, formal diversity-related offices also signal that HEIs value diversity (while states like Texas are banning them and laying off employees). We wanted to see if one or both of these open up doors to women leaders.

Finally, we test whether changes in the institutional environments around HEIs predict changes in leadership. As competition among HEIs escalates, students increasingly seek diversity, even in this post-affirmative action landscape. Will HEIs be more likely to have a woman president if their peer institutions appoint women in these positions? Since the 1990s, women have slowly become more prominent in U.S. politics. Just as women’s studies legitimizes women in academia, does having more women in positions of political power validate women as presidents in the minds of university stakeholders?

Changes in Societal Beliefs about Who is a Leader

In our statistical analyses, we find that each of these indicators is significant when considered individually. Bringing them together in a single analysis, we find that two explanations rise to the top: having a gender studies program and higher proportions of women in state-level legislatures. In short, these two factors expand societal beliefs about who can be an academic leader.

Gender and Feminist Knowledge Matters

The establishment of women’s studies was a critical and hard-fought innovation in higher education that signaled the acceptance of women’s knowledge, research methods, and topics of study. Fifty years ago, only a few HEIs offered women’s studies courses. Today, most HEIs in the U.S. offer at least one, and many have programs or departments. A recent report by the National Women’s Studies Association finds growing numbers of students taking courses in women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. With increasing backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) more broadly, and declining higher education enrollments, will these trends hold up? For now, gender studies, as legitimation of women’s academic knowledge, seems to coincide with the legitimation of women as heads of knowledge institutions.

The Power of Women in Positions of Political Power

Our findings also suggest that as a state gains more women legislators, HEIs within that state become more likely to appoint women presidents. This makes sense, given how women in positions of political power serve as role models for others, and motivate greater political participation by other women. Greater women’s representation in public leadership also changes public attitudes such that people of all gender identities believe women can govern. Our study illustrates the importance of women’s political representation in changing norms and beliefs in higher education.

A Milestone in Jeopardy

The college-going population in the U.S. is more diverse than ever. HEIs understand the value and need to reflect the diversity of their communities. Unfortunately, the current anti-diversity HEI climate (the ban on affirmative action, accusations against women academics, and backlash against DEI) makes diversity efforts extremely difficult. What does the future hold for diversity and equity in higher education? Time will tell how the current challenges will affect the upward trend in women presidents of U.S. HEIs, as well as other important aspects of diversity and equity in academia.

On a positive note, as more women continue to advance in higher education leadership, we are hopeful that this will transform society beyond universities. Universities are influenced by the broader society, but they also have the power to change society. By sending out messages encouraging gender and other types of equity, including demonstrating good examples, questioning the taken-for-granted norms, and creating productive discussions, universities can serve as catalysts for societal transformation.

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References

D’Apice, H. K., Song, J., & Wotipka, C. M. (2024). A milestone in the pursuit of gender equality: Predicting first women presidents in U.S. higher education institutions, 1980–2018. Sociology Compass, e13204. https://doi.org/10.1111/soc4.13204

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Authors

• Hannah K. D’Apice, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
• Jieun Song, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
• Christine Min Wotipka, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA