Relationship Between Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Gender and Female Student Leadership: An Evaluative Study
Mercy Olajumoke Kutu 
& Thokozile Valerie Mayekiso
Issue: Vol.6 No.7 Article 22 pp.1253 – 1267
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256722 | Published online 24th June, 2025
© 2025 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This study investigated the relationship between undergraduate students’ perceptions of gender and female student leadership in higher education (HE) at a university in South Africa. It forms part of a study investigating gender in educational management and leadership. It employed mixed methods research to collect data from 328 respondents using a five-point Likert Scale. Data was analysed using Kruskal-Wallis and Spearman’s correlation tests through SPSS. Six interviews were conducted with students in leadership positions, and the data were thematically analysed. The study revealed that perceptions of gender among various gender identities did not differ significantly. Similarly, gender identities had an inconsequential effect on perceptions of female leadership. Nevertheless, it recorded a significant moderate relationship between students’ perceptions of gender and female student leadership (r=0.175**; p<0.001). While the study implied that embracing female students’ leadership could be influenced by one’s perception of gender, deconstruction of systematic gender is suggested to promote female students’ representation. It revealed that the aura of a gender-sensitive environment and women as role models in higher education leadership might motivate female representation in student leadership. It conclusively stressed the need to advance female representation in higher education student leadership. Although progress has been made, female students often face challenges that hinder their representation in student leadership. Higher education institutions should commit to research on the perception of gender and leadership dynamics in student leadership. This study might provide policymakers with insights into improving female student leadership. Extending this study to include more universities could provide a broader perspective.
Keywords: Higher Education, Student Leadership, Gender Perceptions.
Akala, Beatrice, and J. J. Divala. “Gender Equity Tensions in South Africa’s Post-Apartheid Higher Education: In Defence of Differentiation.” South African Journal of Higher Education 30, no. 1 (2016): 1–16.
Azmi, Nor Jijidiana, Isyaku Hassan, Radzuwan Ab Rashid, Zulkarnian Ahmad, Nor Azira Aziz, and Qaribu Yahaya Nasidi. “Gender Stereotype in Toy Advertisements on Social Networking Sites.” Online Journal of Communication and Media Technologies 11, no. 4 (September 8, 2021): e202122. https://doi.org/10.30935/ojcmt/11212.
Bem, Sandra Lipsitz. “Gender Schema Theory: A Cognitive Account of Sex Typing.” Psychological Review 88, no. 4 (1981): 354.
Benmira, Sihame, and Moyosolu Agboola. “Evolution of Leadership Theory.” BMJ Leader, 2021, leader-2020.
Bhana, Anrusha. “Challenges Impeding Women into Leadership Roles in a Student-Led Organization at a South African Higher Education Institution.” LLC “Consulting Publishing Company“ Business Perspectives 19, no. 4 (2021): 508–17.
Bhatti, Aisha, and Rabia Ali. “Women Constructing Leadership Identities in Academia: Intersection of Gender and Culture.” Issues in Educational Research 31, no. 1 (2021): 1–18.
Bowen, Maria. “Women in Leadership Positions in Higher Education: Challenges, Opportunities, and Strategies for Success,” 2024.
Bullough, Amanda, Ulrike Guelich, Tatiana S Manolova, and Leon Schjoedt. “Women’s Entrepreneurship and Culture: Gender Role Expectations and Identities, Societal Culture, and the Entrepreneurial Environment.” Small Business Economics 58, no. 2 (2022): 985–96.
Butler, Judith, and Gender Trouble. “Feminism and the Subversion of Identity.” Gender Trouble 3, no. 1 (1990): 3–17.
Cáceres-Reche, María Pilar, Miguel López-Gómez, Fernando José Sadio-Ramos, Blanca Berral-Ortiz, and José Antonio Martínez-Domingo. “Student Leadership at the University: An Explanatory Model.” Education Sciences 11, no. 11 (2021): 703.
Connell, Raewyn. “Rethinking Gender from the South.” Feminist Studies 40, no. 3 (2014): 518–39.
Eckert, Penelope, and Sally McConnell-Ginet. Language and Gender. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2013.
Ellison, George T H, and Thea De Wet. “Biological Determinism.” The International Encyclopedia of Biological Anthropology, 2018, 1–4.
Flood, Michael. “Men and Gender Equality.” Engaging Men in Building Gender Equality, 2015, 1–31.
Göttgens, Irene, and Sabine Oertelt-Prigione. “Moving beyond Gender Identity: The Need for Contextualization in Gender-Sensitive Medical Research.” The Lancet Regional Health–Europe 24 (2023).
Haber‐Curran, Paige, and Daniel Tillapaugh. “Gender and Student Leadership: A Critical Examination.” New Directions for Student Leadership 2017, no. 154 (2017): 11–22.
Heilman, Madeline E, Suzette Caleo, and Francesca Manzi. “Women at Work: Pathways from Gender Stereotypes to Gender Bias and Discrimination.” Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior 11, no. 1 (2024): 165–92.
Hlatshwayo, Lindokuhle Precious, Busisiwe Mashaba, Omphile Mathuloe, and Sakhiseni Joseph Yende. “Being a Woman Is Not a Barrier to Achieving Successful Leadership in South African Higher Education.” African Journal of Gender, Society & Development 11, no. 4 (2022).
Kerr, Gretchen. Gender-Based Violence in Children’s Sport. New York: Routledge, 2022.
Ketefian, Shaké. “Ethical Considerations in Research. Focus on Vulnerable Groups.” Investigación y Educación En Enfermería 33, no. 1 (2015): 164–72.
Kutu, M Olajumoke, and Thoko Mayekiso. “Investigating the Relationship between Gender Perception and Women’s Representation in Higher Education Management and Leadership Positions.” In Conference Proceedings. The International Academic Forum, 497–511. University of London, UCL, 2021.
Lawson, M. Asher, Ashley E. Martin, Imrul Huda, and Sandra C. Matz. “Hiring Women into Senior Leadership Positions Is Associated with a Reduction in Gender Stereotypes in Organizational Language.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 119, no. 9 (2022): e2026443119.
Leal Filho, Walter, Tony Wall, Lez Rayman-Bacchus, Mark Mifsud, Diana J Pritchard, Violeta Orlovic Lovren, Carla Farinha, Danijela S Petrovic, and Abdul-Lateef Balogun. “Impacts of COVID-19 and Social Isolation on Academic Staff and Students at Universities: A Cross-Sectional Study.” BMC Public Health 21, no. 1 (2021): 1213.
Lindqvist, Anna, Marie Gustafsson Sendén, and Emma A Renström. “What Is Gender, Anyway: A Review of the Options for Operationalising Gender.” Psychology & Sexuality 12, no. 4 (2021): 332–44.
Merma-Molina, Gladys, Mayra Urrea-Solano, Salvador Baena-Morales, and Diego Gavilán-Martín. “The Satisfactions, Contributions, and Opportunities of Women Academics in the Framework of Sustainable Leadership: A Case Study.” Sustainability 14, no. 14 (2022): 8937.
Meza-Mejia, Mónica del Carmen, Mónica Adriana Villarreal-García, and Claudia Fabiola Ortega-Barba. “Women and Leadership in Higher Education: A Systematic Review.” Social Sciences 12, no. 10 (October 4, 2023): 555. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12100555.
Morgenroth, Thekla, and Michelle K Ryan. “The Effects of Gender Trouble: An Integrative Theoretical Framework of the Perpetuation and Disruption of the Gender/Sex Binary.” Perspectives on Psychological Science 16, no. 6 (2021): 1113–42.
Odoom, Daniel, Eric Opoku Mensah, Festus Annor-Frempong, Christopher Dick-Sagoe, and Van Crowder. “Promoting Gender Equality as a Strategy for Community Development in Ghana: Moving Beyond the Rhetoric.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, September 9, 2022, 393–412. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2022393.
Panhwar, Abdul Hameed, Sanaullah Ansari, and Asif Ali Shah. “Post-Positivism: An Effective Paradigm for Social and Educational Research.” International Research Journal of Arts and Humanities 45, no. 45 (2017): 253–59.
Pathania, Sudershan Kumar. “Sustainable Development Goal: Gender Equality for Women’s Empowerment and Human Rights.” International Journal of Research 5, no. 4 (2017): 1–15.
Pule, Neo T, and Michelle May. “Insights on Student Leadership Using Social Dream Drawing: Six Propositions for the Transformation Role of South African Student Leaders.” Transformation in Higher Education 6 (2021): 138.
Sebola, Mokoko. “Achieving Gender Equity in Leadership of South African Institutions of Higher Learning: Is Women’s Empowerment Mission Impossible in Universities?” International Journal of Higher Education Management 2, no. 1 (2015).
Starr, Christine R, and Eileen L Zurbriggen. “Sandra Bem’s Gender Schema Theory after 34 Years: A Review of Its Reach and Impact.” Sex Roles 76 (2017): 566–78.
Tadjimatova, Gulnorakhon. “Gender Can Vary Across Related Languages.” Евразийский Журнал Академических Исследований 3, no. 3 (2023): 75–77.
Tamunomiegbam, A, and D Arinze. “From Tradition to Transformation: Evolving Gender Norms in Contemporary Africa.”American Journal of Public Policy and Administration 9, no.3(2024):1–36.
Ungaretti, Joaquín, and Edgardo Daniel Etchezahar. “Gender Role Ideology According to Sex, Acceptance of Women’s Rights and Gay Marriage,” 2013.
Woodhill, Bobbi, and Curtis Samuels. “Sex vs Gender: A Biological Location for Gender, Not Sex.,” April 15, 2021. https://doi.org/10.33774/coe-2020-k7gt1-v4.
Zulu, Connie. “Gender Equity and Equality in Higher Education Leadership:’what’s Social Justice and Substantive Equality Got to Do with It?’/Zulu, Connie,” 2016.
Dr. Mercy Kutu was a postdoctoral researcher at the School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Economics, Development and Business Sciences, University of Mpumalanga, South Africa. She serves as an Academic Support Specialist at the Academic Support Services Division at the same university. Dr Kutu specializes in basic and higher education management and leadership, focusing on gender and curriculum studies. She has published in accredited journals.
Professor Thoko Mayekiso is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mpumalanga, South Africa. She is a distinguished scholar with the National Research Foundation (RSA-NRF) C3 rating. As a Scientist, she has published nationally and internationally in accredited journals. She has also contributed to different book chapters. She is a renowned Clinical Psychologist. Professor Mayekiso has extensive experience in management and leadership in higher education. Her specialization spans higher education, women’s representation in this field, and psychology. Her core areas are adolescent sexuality, HIV and Aids prevention, and mental health.
Kutu, Mercy Olajumoke, and Thokozile Valerie Mayekiso. “Relationship Between Undergraduate Students’ Perceptions of Gender and Female Student Leadership: An Evaluative Study,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 6, no.7 (2025): 1253 – 1267. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20256722
© 2025 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
