Gender and department heads: An empirically-inspired literature review

Abstract

Inspired by storytelling circles with female academics, this article examines the role of department heads vis-à-vis gendered career experiences and women's persistent underrepresentation among science and engineering faculty members. It focuses on the level of power heads are afforded, presents new and understudied perspectives on the department head literature, and suggests research horizons and policy recommendations. Five gendered dimensions of department head literature are identified and discussed. Given that department heads play pivotal roles within the academy, their actions warrant further examination, specifically as they pertain to gender biases.