Confrontations Faced by Women in Higher Education Institutions and Strategies to Overcome the Anomalies in the Mid-Career

Abstract

Women do succeed in higher positions in the higher education system but only to a certain point, and many women are really motivated by the traditional academic values such as passion to the discipline, pursuit of knowledge, good working environment, and flexibility. Women in higher education spend the majority of their life at the mid-career stage. Some of them feel wedged, undervalued, and find no motivation to go forward in their mid-career. Hence, the mid-career stage is very much important with women academicians, and they feel there is little support or mentoring. Hence, the mid-career period is increasingly difficult to navigate. Women encounter enormous obstacles in their academic career, including unequal task distribution and balancing caring responsibilities to name a few. The aim of this chapter is to discuss in detail the challenges and obstacles faced by women in their mid-career in higher education and a few strategies to overcome the encounters.