The new Women in Leadership Programme (WLP), launched at the University of Pretoria (UP) on 16 August, sets out to increase the number of women in leadership positions in higher education.

The launch event was attended by more than 50 people from all faculties at UP, including female and male deans, directors and heads of departments, who stepped up to support the programme.

Its approach will be multi-pronged, comprising a research hub, learning and development opportunities, and the identification of barriers to equitable gender representation.

To ensure broad and lasting impact, it will involve support from male allies on the UP campus, as well as partnerships with multiple universities abroad.

Big shift needed

Professor Tanya van Wyk, the coordinator and chairperson of the WLP, believes the programme is imperative.

"There is a real need for this programme, as the leadership in higher education in our country – and many others – is still mostly represented by men," she said.

Van Wyk holds an MPhil in Responsible Leadership from the Albert Luthuli Leadership Institute (ALLI), where the WLP is situated, as well as a BTh, MDIV, MTh and PhD in Systematic Theology, all from UP.

In her view, transformation won't occur without a major paradigm shift.

"To increase the number of women in higher education leadership positions, we need to shift institutional culture to include women's ways of being, knowing and representing what success and leadership means," she said.

This shift must occur within women themselves – something the programme hopes to help achieve.

"The programme includes the creation of a research hub on women leadership, and we will be developing courses for women in higher education to help them re-author their own narrative," Van Wyk explained.

"This will include naming the barriers to leadership and getting beyond representation to achieve leadership transformation."

Not just for women

However, transformation is not up to women alone, either.

"Men are our allies in this programme, including ALLI Director Professor Derick de Jongh," Van Wyk emphasised. "We see men as fellow instigators in leadership transformation and being sounding boards.

"You cannot change institutional culture unless you engage the whole population."

Professor Loretta Feris, Vice-Principal: Academic at UP, is championing the programme at UP.

She says the programme is not about teaching women to become leaders; rather, it is about helping them overcome barriers to leadership and navigate institutional culture, not only in academia, but across all the sectors that encompass university business.

Breaking barriers

Prof Feris has established a transnational partnership and programme between UP and three universities in the United Kingdom: Kings College London, SOAS University of London and Leeds University, as they, too, face similar challenges.

Professor Funmi Olonisakin, Vice President: International, Engagement and Service (IES) at King's College, London, said there were very few women leaders and women of colour at her institution and that "hierarchical leadership is glorified".

"Part of our mission is to de-hierarchialise leadership," she added.

UP’s Professor Flavia Senkubuge, Acting Vice-Principal: Student Life, was a keynote speaker at the launch. She argued that to de-hierarchialise leadership, women must disassemble the architecture of environments that have not necessarily been built for them.

In her view, feminine stereotypes are an enduring barrier to leadership that women face: 'soft' skills are responded to as though they detract from seriousness and the ability to be strong leaders.

"On the other hand, women who don't fit the stereotype of femininity are regarded as being too hard or masculine, so we are damned if we do and damned if we don't," added Van Wyk.

She noted: "Women in leadership also sometimes experience the imposter syndrome, where they lack the confidence to know they deserve to be in a leadership position." This is one of the products of male-focused socialisation.

The programme emphasises that women should not restrict who they are; they should be completely themselves, and shine in their own right.

"We will also look at how women with children are supported, their working hours and whether there can there be more flexibility," said Van Wyk.

At the event, women expressed their appreciation for the creation of a space where they can network, raise concerns, and share their experiences. "One of UP's older academics said she wished it had been available 30 years ago," said Van Wyk.

Until mid-October, the WLP will continue creating awareness of the programme, visiting UP faculties in turn and canvassing to find out how women experience leadership and their workspaces.