Conventional perceptions of what makes a good manager still act as a constraint on gender equity. It is those perceptions, and not the leaders themselves, that need to change.

This was a key finding of a special session on gender in higher education, staged by the ACU yesterday as part of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) Women’s Forum in Malta. The Forum was convened for the first time in the run up to CHOGM to look at good practice and opportunities for women in the Commonwealth.

Read more about the Forum

The meeting heard presentations from Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe, founding Director of the Centre for Gender Studies at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, on identifying disadvantage, and Professor Louise Morley, Director of the Centre for Higher Education and Equity Research at the University of Sussex UK, on leadership and gender in higher education.

The meeting formed part of the ACU's ongoing Gender Programme, which celebrated 30 years of achievements this year. The Programme supports the recruitment and retention of women in higher education leadership and management, as well as promotion of gender equity as integral to institutional development

Read more about the ACU Gender Programme