Women are beginning to break through the glass ceiling in higher education, with 29 per cent of the latest vice-chancellor posts being taken by female candidates, a survey by HEi-know has found.
In the last three years, 2012-15, and including the first two months of 2016, a total of 19 women have become university vice-chancellors out of 66 new hires, University Business reports. In the last year and two months up to February 2016, the trend appears to have accelerated with 15 women being appointed to the top position in higher education institutions.
Progress is due to increasing awareness in universities, according to Professor Liz Barnes, Staffordshire University's new Vice-Chancellor.
"People have been gender-blind in the past and bringing the issue to the fore has helped," she said.
Professor Janet Beer, Vice-chancellor at the University of Liverpool, commented: "I am feeling very encouraged. Numbers were stuck at 16 per cent for a long time, but the fact that 29 per cent of new vice-chancellors are women is great."
The full findings of the HEi-know survey are available to HEi-know partners here.
Professor Liz Barnes, VC at Staffordshire University