Navigating Gendered Power Structures: Challenges Confronting Female Student Leaders in Ghanaian Universities

Abstract

This study examined how female student leaders navigate gendered power structures and the challenges that shape their legitimacy and participation within university governance systems. The study was underpinned by Role Congruity Theory, which explores biases against women in leadership roles. The study employed a qualitative approach, utilising a phenomenological design across four selected public universities in Ghana due to their high levels of female representation. Eighteen (18) participants were purposively selected for the study. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with all the participants, while 16 of them from three of the universities were involved in a focus group discussion. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings reveal four interconnected constraints: patriarchal norms that delegitimise female authority, gender stereotyping reinforced by male numerical dominance, sexual harassment embedded in electoral and sponsorship systems and institutional exclusion through formal and informal gatekeeping. These dynamics construct leadership as masculine, compelling women to continuously negotiate credibility, visibility and authority. The study further demonstrates that exclusion is structurally embedded, with constitutional representation rights often undermined by informal patriarchal practices, producing a dual system of formal inclusion and substantive exclusion. The study concludes that within the context examined, the challenges confronting female student leaders stem not only from individual capacity deficits but from structural inequalities that limit their participation and leadership experiences. The study recommends that universities should strengthen gender-responsive policies to address patriarchal norms, gender stereotypes, sexual harassment and formal and informal gatekeeping practices that exclude female students from leadership.