Women in the Governance of Public Higher Education Institutions in Mexico. Comparative Study

Abstract

In the upward trajectory of women, equality in leadership positions within higher education institutions is still not evident, although there's a growing shift in university governance that's starting to break the historic barriers for women, it remains a reality that this level has been largely unattainable to them. Various international and national laws and policies have pushed for gender equality, but it is still a work in progress. Globally, women hold almost a quarter of the top university leadership roles, but in Latin America, progress is slower. Despite qualifications and merits, women face numerous obstacles in reaching top university  leadership positions. This study aims to investigate the position of women in university governance in Mexico by comparing public institutions, based on the national gender equity policy. It seeks to pinpoint specific policies or actions being implemented. For this, a descriptive and transversal work was followed in multilevel analysis in comparative studies which allows multifaceted and holistic investigations of the phenomena to be studied. The findings show that while the government and other entities have established laws and policies for gender equality, there is still a noticeable gap in the governance of public universities. Even though some progress has been made in addressing gender-based violence and other equality initiatives, these efforts are not enough to fundamentally change the culture and provide women with full access to the governing level.