Faculty Research Fellows Talk with Christine Min Wotipka

Christine Min Wotipka (& Hannah K. D’Apice): "Predicting First Women University Presidents: A Cross-National Analysis, 1970–2024"

Women’s enrollment in higher education has steadily increased worldwide since the 1980s and, in recent decades, has even surpassed that of men. Yet women remain significantly underrepresented in higher education leadership. This project examines when and where universities in more than 200 countries have appointed their first woman president (or equivalent leader). Using event history analysis, the study identifies global, regional, and national explanations for whether and when a country has ever had a woman university president. While notable progress toward gender parity has been achieved across many spheres of public and private life, this work highlights a persistent and understudied dimension of inequality—the global gender gap in academic leadership.

Christine Min Wotipka is Associate Professor (Teaching) of Education and, by courtesy, of Sociology.