ABSTRACT
This chapter will explore the research and theories on the gender gap in leadership as well as the critical perspectives on research and theory guiding current understandings of women leaders in higher education. In reviewing this topic through the frameworks of Gilligan’s theory of women’s moral development, Holland’s person-organization fit, and Goode’s theory of role strain juxtaposed against Sieber’s theory of role accumulation, this chapter will focus on maternal wall bias as a barrier for women in higher education and identify ways in which to successfully overcome these displaced perceptions. By identifying the factors that lead to a gender gap in leadership, the field can begin to build a connection with those working within higher education institutions regarding the reality of being, specifically a working mother and what organizations can do to better support their employees with children. Additionally, this chapter will provide examples of working mothers who have negotiated their own pathways and scaled the proverbial maternal wall.
