The determinants of the gender gap in university leadership: the case of Czech academic senates

Abstract

Are academic elections an effective means of countering the persistent underrepresentation of women in higher education governance? Focusing on a unique case of university senates in the Czech Republic, this article for the first time explores the determinants of women candidates’ emergence and electoral success in a higher education setting. Identifying a gender gap between the share of female academics and female senators, it considers explanations at two levels: (1) women might fare worse in electoral contests compared to men, and/or (2) women might not present themselves as candidates as often as men resulting in their underrepresentation. Based on a unique original dataset of almost one thousand candidates running in elections to all Czech university academic senates at 142 faculties, the article develops theoretical expectations and performs statistical tests of the determinants at both levels. It finds no evidence that female candidates are disadvantaged–compared to men–by holding elections. Instead, the gender gap is attributable to a dearth of women willing to present themselves as candidates. Male-dominated academic settings, incumbency advantage as well as the intensity of electoral competition are statistically associated with the lower probability of women entering higher education governance.