Abstract
The apartheid regime in South Africa significantly limited access to quality education for Africans, particularly affecting women, especially African women who were marginalised by societal norms. This resulted in delays in accessing higher education opportunities, leading to their ongoing underrepresentation in leadership roles within the higher education sector, despite efforts to address past injustices after the advent of democracy. Research shows that African woman academics face numerous obstacles in gaining authority and influence in academia. While many studies focus on these challenges, they often overlook the broader experiences of African woman academics. Nevertheless, many African woman academics have succeeded in building careers in the sector. Their experiences, though sometimes viewed as outliers, are valuable and warrant further research, particularly regarding their resilience in leadership
Therefore, the study utilised a qualitative exploratory approach to examine the narratives of African woman academics across three universities in Gauteng, South Africa. Participants were purposefully selected based on the principles of resilience theory, focusing on African woman academics who achieved unexpected positive outcomes by advancing to the professoriate despite various challenges. Through purposive and snowball sampling, 21 African woman academics at the associate professor and full professor levels were recruited. One-on-one interviews were conducted with these participants to gain deep insights into their experiences, which were analysed using interpretive methods. The study employed resilience theory and African feminisms to explore the various processes that enabled African woman academics to overcome adversity and achieve upward mobility.
The study was conducted through four interconnected articles, each addressing a distinct research objective. The first explored the motivations that inspired African women to enter academia, revealing that their pursuit of academic careers was driven by a sense of purpose, a desire for representation, and a desire for transformation. The second examined the organisational challenges encountered within the academy, highlighting the persistence of racialised and gendered institutional cultures. The third investigated the personal resilience strategies that sustain women in these spaces, including faith, self-affirmation and mentorship. The fourth identified the systemic enablers that support women’s advancement, conceptualised through a multi-systemic understanding of resilience that emphasises interconnected support structures and transformative leadership pathways.
The study contributes to advancing Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG 5), which aims to promote gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by 2030. By presenting various
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narratives of struggle and success, this study challenges the notion of a single academic pathway and instead amplifies the diverse perspectives and experiences of African woman academics. The study finds that African woman academics actively transform, rather than simply endure, inequitable institutional contexts. Their leadership journeys challenge dominant narratives of academic success and reflect resilience grounded in purpose, community and structural resistance to patriarchal and colonial legacies. Integrating resilience theory with African feminist thought, the research conceptualises leadership as the convergence of agency, collective empowerment and structural change to advance gender equity in higher education. The findings further challenge deficit-oriented narratives that frame African woman’s participation in academia as exceptional or peripheral.