Women Career Barriers in Philippine Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

This article intends to identify the barriers women experience in advancing to top-level positions in higher education and fill in the gap in the Philippine setting. This study examines the experiences of females in the academe through various journal articles discussing the barriers to female academic leadership. The common prevalent findings are the following: 1) Imbalance in work-life; 2) Colleague’s recognition and perception of women leaders; 3) Social Network; 4) Self Confidence; 5) Gender-Based Stereotypes; 6) Organizational Biased Policies; 7) Non-Gender Based Discrimination; 8) Lack of Qualifications; 9) Strong Family Obligations; 10) Tenure. The findings from the various studies highlighted the blockages in women's career progression in our society. Changing the mindset of employers and the potential leadership competence of women leaders will be a viable strategy for an institution to support women. Biases and attitudes towards women leaders are common and gender-biased perceptions. Work-life imbalance has always been a barrier for women.