The Persistent Gender Gap in STEM Leadership: A Closer Look at Sub-Saharan Africa
While global strides have been made in increasing women’s participation in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research, the translation of this representation into career advancement and leadership roles remains uneven. Across higher education institutions worldwide, women continue to face systemic barriers that hinder their progression into senior academic and leadership positions. This disparity is particularly pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa, where female STEM academics often encounter gendered structural challenges that impede their ability to publish, secure funding, and assume leadership roles.
At the heart of this issue lies the critical role of academic publishing—a cornerstone of professional recognition, career mobility, and institutional influence. However, the conditions necessary for successful publication—time, mentorship, research networks, funding access, and institutional support—are not equally distributed. Women in STEM, particularly in African universities, frequently operate within resource-constrained environments where these factors are further skewed by gendered expectations and workload disparities. While North-South collaborations have played a role in strengthening research outputs, they often overlook the holistic support systems required to sustain long-term career growth.
A Multifaceted Intervention: The Ghana Case Study
To address these challenges, a collaborative research initiative titled Addressing Female STEM Lecturers’ Underrepresentation in Leadership in Technical Universities in Ghana was launched. Funded by the British Council’s Gender Equality Partnerships Programme, the project brought together:
– University of Nottingham (UK)
– Ho Technical University (Ghana)
– Association of African Universities (AAU)
Recognizing that the barriers faced by female STEM lecturers are interconnected, the programme adopted a three-pronged approach:
1. Writing Support – A two-day intensive workshop designed to demystify academic publishing within participants’ disciplinary and institutional contexts.
2. Mentorship Programme – A 10-month structured mentorship initiative to guide participants in refining their research, publication strategies, and career trajectories.
3. Leadership Development – Three online sessions led by senior academics, focusing on leadership identity, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership.
The initiative targeted 28 female STEM lecturers from Ghana’s technical universities, many of whom were navigating early-career challenges while balancing teaching, administrative duties, and personal responsibilities.
Measuring Impact: Promising Outcomes and Key Insights
The results of the programme were highly encouraging, demonstrating tangible progress in both publication outputs and leadership confidence:
- 92% of participants submitted a manuscript during or immediately after the programme.
- 65% authored or co-authored a peer-reviewed research paper.
- 94% found the mentorship component to be useful or very useful in advancing their careers.
- 93% reported feeling confident or somewhat confident in pursuing leadership roles.
- 38% had already taken concrete steps toward securing leadership positions.
- 89% expressed a commitment to mentoring future female STEM academics, creating a sustainable pipeline of support.
These outcomes underscore the effectiveness of an integrated approach that combines writing skills, mentorship, and leadership training. However, the project also revealed critical systemic challenges that must be addressed for long-term equity in STEM academia.
Five Critical Lessons for Future Initiatives
The experience of this programme yielded five pivotal lessons that could inform similar interventions across Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond:
1. Eligibility Criteria Must Reflect Real-World Academic Realities
The programme initially required participants to hold a completed doctorate, yet many prospective applicants were still pursuing their PhDs. This exclusionary criterion contradicted the project’s goal of promoting equitable access.
Key Insight:
– The definition of an “early-career researcher” varies significantly across African universities. In many institutions, lecturers with master’s degrees are expected to publish while completing doctoral studies.
– Solution: Programmes must adapt eligibility criteria to align with local academic structures, ensuring that time constraints—rather than formal qualifications—do not become barriers.
2. Programme Design Must Accommodate Women’s Multifaceted Workloads
Female STEM lecturers in Sub-Saharan Africa often juggle teaching, administrative duties, doctoral research, and unpaid care work. The two-day intensive workshop was a critical access point for many, but logistical challenges persisted:
- Transport and accommodation were provided, yet distance remained a barrier for some participants.
- Online sessions were recorded to accommodate those with family or religious commitments, including one participant with a young child.
- Feedback indicated mixed preferences—some preferred a longer workshop format, while others appreciated the brevity that allowed participation despite tight schedules.
Key Insight:
– Duration must balance accessibility and depth—intensive formats can buy back time but may limit manuscript development.
– Flexible scheduling (e.g., evening or weekend sessions) and hybrid models (in-person + virtual) can enhance participation.
3. Institutional Structures Must Prioritize Sustainable Time Allocation
Despite programme efforts to mitigate time constraints, participants consistently cited lack of time as their biggest challenge. Many attended online sessions while traveling for fieldwork, highlighting the extreme demands placed on their schedules.
Key Insight:
– Programmes can design around time scarcity, but institutions must allocate durable time through:
– Reduced teaching loads for early-career researchers.
– Dedicated research time in workload models.
– Funded retreats to facilitate focused writing and collaboration.
4. Mentorship Requires Structured Support to Thrive
While the mentorship component was overwhelmingly successful, it also revealed gaps in engagement:
– One mentorship group experienced disruptions due to conflicting teaching schedules, which went unaddressed until later.
– Participants struggled to prioritize mentorship amid competing demands.
Key Insight:
– Mentorship programmes must include:
– Regular check-ins to monitor progress and address challenges early.
– Structured engagement mechanisms (e.g., shared calendars, reminders).
– Clear expectations for both mentors and mentees.
5. Mentorship Must Be Reciprocal and Resourced
Participants emphasized that ongoing access to mentors was vital for sustaining their publication and leadership journeys. However, this demand places an unrecognized burden on senior academics, who are rarely compensated or rewarded for their mentorship efforts.
Key Insight:
– Mentorship should be:
– Funded as part of programme budgets (not treated as “goodwill”).
– Designed reciprocally—e.g., mentors involving mentees in their own research to build confidence through co-authorship.
– Institutionalized in promotion criteria to value and sustain these relationships.
Beyond Publishing: Addressing the Gendered Conditions of Academic Work
While the programme achieved significant short-term gains, the underlying structural issues persist. The Association of African Universities (AAU) has committed to cascading these lessons across its 450-member network, but the real challenge lies in systemic change:
- Time: Institutions must reallocate workloads to reduce the double burden of teaching and research.
- Resources: Funding for mentorship, writing retreats, and grant-writing support must be prioritized.
- Well-being: Confidential counselling and stress management should be integrated into academic support systems.
- Networking: Sustained opportunities for collaboration—both within and beyond institutions—are essential for long-term career growth.
As the project’s lead researchers note, true equity in STEM leadership requires more than increased publication rates. It demands institutional policies that recognize and mitigate the gendered realities of academic work, ensuring that women have the time, resources, recognition, and well-being support needed to thrive in their careers.
Contributors:
– Alicia Bowman (Assistant Professor, University of Nottingham)
– Juliet Thondhlana (UNESCO Chair in International Education and Development, University of Nottingham)
– Liticia Effah-Manu (Faculty Member, Department of Food Science and Technology, Ho Technical University)
– Felicia Nkrumah-Kuagbedzi (Acting Coordinator, ICT, Communications & Knowledge Management, AAU)
Participants engage in a writing workshop during the Ghana STEM Leadership Development Programme. (Source: British Council Gender Equality Partnerships Programme)
