Abstract:
This thesis argues that gender roles in Nigerian universities result from socially constructed patriarchal rules, norms, and values. It reveals that the Nigerian university is a masculine-oriented institution that influences gender relations, reasserts and reproduces male dominance through the invisible positions women occupy within the university. Despite efforts to address the systemic issue of gender imbalance in academic leadership in Nigerian universities through the establishment of gender centres and the adoption of gender policies, women are still underrepresented in academic leadership positions. This thesis investigates the intricate formal and informal institutional ‘causes’ of why a few women remain in academic hierarchies through an illustrative study of four purposively selected universities in Nigeria.
This study draws on Feminist Institutionalism to inform its approach and methodology. Specifically, I first integrate the Feminist Institutionalism and Feminist Policy Analysis frameworks (FI-FPAF) to analyse the universities’ gender policy documents and explore why formal equity policies have failed to gain real traction, especially for women’s academic progression. My findings reveal areas of silence, women’s exclusion, and how male dominance is perpetuated in ‘formal’ policy documents. Second, I combine Feminist Institutionalism and Feminist Critical Discourse Analysis (FI-FCDA) to analyse interview data from gender stakeholders and women in academic leadership positions to unveil discourses on the ‘informal rules of the game’. In doing so, I bring to light the informal institutional norms and practices that subvert formal policy intent and the hidden aspects of women’s promotions. Although the content and enactment of institutional gender policies are gendered and reinforce systems of inequality, I demonstrate how women have navigated constricting leadership alleys and attained academic leadership positions through the interplay of formal and informal institutions.
This thesis shows that analysing formal policy documents and stakeholders’ perspectives on informal norms and practices is an asset in interrogating the persistent underrepresentation of women in academic leadership and the constraints on institutionalising gender equality. Thus, through my study of the Nigerian case, I generate new insights into the gendered dynamics of institutional resistance and change, thus contributing to the growing body of research on Feminist Institutionalism in theory and practice.