---

At the University of the Free State (UFS), the commitment to shaping responsible societal futures is more than a strategic phrase. It calls for leadership that reflects the diversity, knowledge, and lived realities of the society that the university serves.

This commitment is at the heart of the Working Group on Gender Parity in Academic Leadership, established in January 2024 to advance and increase the representation of women in senior academic roles.

While women and men are employed as academic staff in almost equal numbers at the UFS, the picture changes at senior level. Only 14% of women academics are appointed at associate professor or professor levels, compared to 25% of male academics.

These disparities highlight why deliberate institutional action is necessary to strengthen the pipeline of women scholars progressing to academic leadership.

Chaired by Prof Helene Strauss, the working group brings together scholars and institutional leaders committed to addressing the structural and cultural barriers that shape academic careers. Dr Henriëtte van den Berg (Manager of the Transformation of the Professoriate Programme) and Dr Molapo Qhobela (Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Strategic Initiatives, International and Institutional Affairs)  played a major role in processes leading up to the formation of this working group. Prof Aliza le Roux (Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences) served as acting Chair from July to December 2025 while Prof Strauss (Faculty of The Humanities) was on sabbatical, with Prof Vasu Reddy, Deputy Vice-Chancellor: Research, Innovation and Postgraduate Studies, providing executive leadership to the initiative.

“Gender parity is not just a metric; it is a catalyst for real, tangible, and meaningful change. When women lead, universities think, innovate, and serve society more powerfully,” says Prof Reddy.

Why women’s voices matter

Prof Strauss says: "We are keen, as a working group, to provide the organisational scaffolding needed to build a culture of trust, flexibility, and support within which women academic staff across the racial spectrum can thrive."

Prof Le Roux agrees, saying that advancing gender parity is inseparable from the university’s broader societal mission.

“The UFS speaks about shaping responsible societal futures,” she says. “Without women’s voices, the university is missing out on the lived experiences, creative thinking, and expertise that come from half of our society. When women contribute equally at all levels of the institution, our decision-making becomes more responsive to the needs of society.”

Prof Reddy emphasises the idea that “we are building a leadership culture that listens, includes, and empowers. True excellence is impossible without diverse voices at the table”.

This perspective reframes gender parity not as a compliance exercise, but as an intellectual and societal imperative. Universities generate ideas that influence policy, innovation, and social progress. Ensuring that women’s perspectives shape those ideas strengthens the university’s ability to contribute meaningfully to society.

Prof Strauss agrees, adding that the working group also seeks to influence the culture of leadership within the institution.

“We hope to contribute to a less hierarchical, top-down management culture at the university,” she explains. “One where the voices of all staff members count and are heard.”

Shifting the culture of leadership

From its first meeting in March 2024, the working group emphasised that gender parity requires more than numerical representation. It requires confronting the institutional dynamics that shape how academic careers develop.

Prof Reddy remarks, “To shape responsible societal futures, we must dismantle the barriers that hold women back in academia. Equity in leadership is non-negotiable.”

Discussions highlighted factors such as inflexible policies, heavy service, and administrative workloads placed on women, and promotion systems that do not always account for the realities of caregiving and work-life balance.

Since then, the group has focused on evidence-informed interventions. In the first semester of 2025, a survey on gender equity among women staff members was conducted and shared with the university’s executive leadership. The findings are helping to guide recommendations and identify areas where institutional support can be strengthened.

In 2026, the working group began reviewing institutional policies through a gendered lens, examining how policies are implemented and where unintended barriers may exist.

Yet, Prof Le Roux argues, structural change must also happen closer to where academic careers unfold.

“For most staff members, their experiences and career growth are not determined by top management,” she says. “They are shaped by their peers and line managers. It is at this level of middle management where we need training, support, and accountability the most – including support for the line managers themselves.”

Building the next generation of academic leaders

A key focus of the working group is strengthening the pipeline of women academics progressing towards professoriate levels and academic leadership roles. This includes supporting mentoring initiatives designed to increase research productivity, scholarly visibility, and leadership capacity among early- and mid-career scholars.

These initiatives recognise that academic advancement depends not only on talent, but also on access to mentorship, networks, and opportunities.

Prof Reddy agrees, adding that “women scholars and women support staff don’t lack talent, they lack equal access to opportunity. Our job is to strengthen the pipeline, not the glass ceiling”.

Institutional support for the initiative gained further momentum in August 2026 when the university’s Chancellor, Prof Bonang Mohale, accepted an invitation to serve as champion of the working group – a visible sign of leadership commitment to advancing gender parity at the UFS.

A vision for 2034

Looking ahead to the university’s long-term transformation goals, Prof Le Roux hopes to see a leadership landscape that reflects the diversity and strength of the institution itself.

“By 2034, I hope to see stronger integration across all three campuses and more diversity at every level of leadership – from supervisors and subject heads to campus principals,” she says. “I also hope to see a culture where leaders are equipped and recognised for supporting their colleagues, with a clear understanding that diversity is one of our greatest strengths.”

Prof Reddy states, “A transformed UFS is one where leadership reflects our diversity. Gender parity is not an aspiration; it’s a future we are actively creating.”