Award Date

5-1-2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Education

First Committee Member

Howard Gordon

Second Committee Member

Xue Xing

Third Committee Member

LeAnn Putney

Fourth Committee Member

Cecilia Maldonado-Daniels

Number of Pages

185

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experiences of female leaders currently in leadership roles in postsecondary education. This hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted to explore intersecting identities and how the identities affected female leaders’ leadership experiences and decision-making processes. Through the theoretical framework of intersectionality, I explored the relationships among females, leadership, career decision-making, and other categorical social identities. Data gathered from semi-structured one-on-one interviews and demographic surveys with 11 female postsecondary leaders sought to understand how gender and selected social identities affect career decision-making of women in postsecondary leadership positions. The researcher identified seven themes: Identity Influenced Experiences; Unintentional Navigation; Institutional Bias; Playing the Game; Institutional Champion; Supportive Mechanisms for Career Advancements; and Value Alignment. These themes described female postsecondary leaders’ experiences and decision-making processes. Results of this study revealed that identity impacts career decision-making for participants as well as insights into the adoption of various navigation processes and strategies in their career pathways into leadership. Moreover, this study has additive theoretical significance for intersectionality and leadership scholarship, and practical significance for postsecondary institutions’ continued cultivation and support of female leaders.

Keywords

career decision making; female; intersectionality; leadership; postsecondary

Disciplines

Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Gender and Sexuality | Higher Education Administration

File Format

pdf

File Size

1.4 MB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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