The representation of women in senior management in Kazakhstan universities

Abstract

The article analyses the representation of women in senior university management through qualitative interviews with nine senior female managers in Kazakhstan. The literature suggests that the organizational and social-cultural barriers exist for women to enter higher stages of university management. The interview results with Kazakh women have revealed that there are similarities and differences with other countries in the academic careers of women and their representation in senior management. Kazakh respondents mostly did not consider that women face structural barriers in rising their academic careers, though they exist. They also did not comment on the male dominance at the top and among the academic staff in Kazakhstan universities. In contrast, the Kazakh interviewees acknowledged the probability of feminization of the Kazakh higher education system as that currently seen in secondary and primary schools
in the country. Family support reported by most interviewees is considered a cultural factor in Kazakhstani women’s career advancement.