Integrating African Women Academics in Leadership: A Systematic Review

Gender inequality is a global issue which has been a clog in the wheel of women academics' career fulfilment, particularly in African continent. This paper, therefore, is a systematic review of relevant literature on the challenges and strategies of integrating African women academics in leadership positions. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) protocol, relevant qualitative and quantitative articles were documented following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The authors used four databases (Emerald insight, Dimension, Google scholar, and science direct) to search for articles published in English between the year 2019 and 2023 on African women in leadership. Studies that focused on women academics in leadership in other continents were excluded. Thematic analysis was used to map the findings. It was found among other things that cultural and societal stereotypes were major challenges. The study also thematized coping strategies to integrate African women academics in the leadership in various higher education institutions. The outcome of this review will be a working tool for policy makers, higher education institutions and women in general with a special attention on those in academia.