Abstract
Gender inequality is a global issue which has been a clog in the
wheel of women academics' career fulfilment, particularly in
African continent. This paper, therefore, is a systematic review
of relevant literature on the challenges and strategies of
integrating African women academics in leadership positions.
Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews
and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol, relevant qualitative and
quantitative articles were documented following the inclusion
and exclusion criteria. The authors used four databases
(Emerald insight, Dimension, Google scholar, and science
direct) to search for articles published in English between the
year 2019 and 2023 on African women in leadership. Studies
that focused on women academics in leadership in other
continents were excluded. Thematic analysis was used to map
the findings. It was found among other things that cultural and
societal stereotypes were major challenges. The study also
thematized coping strategies to integrate African women
academics in the leadership in various higher education
institutions. The outcome of this review will be a working tool
for policy makers, higher education institutions and women in
general with a special attention on those in academia.