Marjorie Souers, one of the few female academic deans of U.S. colleges, spoke of "Breaking the Barriers" in her presentation on the gender imbalance in educational leadership. "A general rule for women applies in education: the higher [the position], the fewer," said Souers, who is dean of education at Indiana University in Fort Wayne. To help equalize opportunities, she urged women to "rock the boat," contrary to their acculturation.
Souers gave several examples of the public attitudes and discriminatory patterns faced by women today. For example, many people make unwarranted assumptions about women, such as assuming that they do not aspire to leadership positions or that they cannot handle the responsibilities of being in higher management positions, she said.
Souers also discussed ways women (and men) can address the gender imbalance in educational leadership, from furthering one's own education to forming mentoring networks, addressing sexual harassment, using collaboration and conflict resolution skills as management styles, and improving communication skills. As for changing cultural biases in the long term, Souers said parents and teachers should nurture both girls and boys in ways that reduce gender bias.
Women need to take responsibility for changing their own behavior when necessary, Souers stated. To be educational leaders, women must develop a range of behaviors: They must be supportive and communicative—and assertive.
