A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education?
This article explores a national women-only leadership development program in Swedish higher education, the so-called IDAS program (an acronym for Identity, Development, Advancement, Support). IDAS encouraged and supported women academics to pursue leadership/administrative careers in higher educati...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Social Sciences |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/5/137 |
| _version_ | 1819079328339591168 |
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| author | Helen Peterson |
| author_facet | Helen Peterson |
| author_sort | Helen Peterson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This article explores a national women-only leadership development program in Swedish higher education, the so-called IDAS program (an acronym for Identity, Development, Advancement, Support). IDAS encouraged and supported women academics to pursue leadership/administrative careers in higher education and was a unique intervention, aiming to increase the number of women Rectors. By drawing on interviews with some of the women who participated in the IDAS program and subsequently became Rectors, the article provides a valuable case study over best practices to increase women senior leaders in higher education. Notwithstanding the success of the leadership program, the article also deals with resistance and criticism linked to equal opportunity initiatives such as this. The article analyzes the criticism voiced by the women interviewed and suggests that it can be understood in relation to different conceptions of gender and gender (in)equality. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:27:14Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-2c344813bc00464483bf8d7cee640ed7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0760 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-21T19:27:14Z |
| publishDate | 2019-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Social Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-2c344813bc00464483bf8d7cee640ed72022-12-21T18:52:47ZengMDPI AGSocial Sciences2076-07602019-05-018513710.3390/socsci8050137socsci8050137A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education?Helen Peterson0Department of Sociology and Work Science, University of Gothenburg, SE-405 30 Gothenburg, SwedenThis article explores a national women-only leadership development program in Swedish higher education, the so-called IDAS program (an acronym for Identity, Development, Advancement, Support). IDAS encouraged and supported women academics to pursue leadership/administrative careers in higher education and was a unique intervention, aiming to increase the number of women Rectors. By drawing on interviews with some of the women who participated in the IDAS program and subsequently became Rectors, the article provides a valuable case study over best practices to increase women senior leaders in higher education. Notwithstanding the success of the leadership program, the article also deals with resistance and criticism linked to equal opportunity initiatives such as this. The article analyzes the criticism voiced by the women interviewed and suggests that it can be understood in relation to different conceptions of gender and gender (in)equality.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/5/137women-onlyleadership development programhigher educationSwedenRectors |
| spellingShingle | Helen Peterson A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education? Social Sciences women-only leadership development program higher education Sweden Rectors |
| title | A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education? |
| title_full | A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education? |
| title_fullStr | A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education? |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education? |
| title_short | A Women-Only Leadership Development Program: Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education? |
| title_sort | women only leadership development program facilitating access to authority for women in swedish higher education |
| topic | women-only leadership development program higher education Sweden Rectors |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/5/137 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT helenpeterson awomenonlyleadershipdevelopmentprogramfacilitatingaccesstoauthorityforwomeninswedishhighereducation AT helenpeterson womenonlyleadershipdevelopmentprogramfacilitatingaccesstoauthorityforwomeninswedishhighereducation |