Madame President, Madame Ambassador? Women Presidents and Gender Parity in Latin America’s Diplomatic Services

This study focuses on the gendered nature of ambassadorial appointments. Analyzing the diplomatic services of ten Latin American countries between 2000 and 2018, we examine the factors that explain the designation of women to ambassadorships. More especially, we are interested in whether the election of women to the presidency in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Costa Rica had an impact on the gender gap at the top of those countries’ foreign services. Drawing on an original dataset on diplomatic appointments, we show that the presence of women ambassadors has increased only marginally over the past two decades. Furthermore, multivariate regression analysis demonstrates that women presidents on the left have (partially and temporarily) corrected the gender gap in their foreign services through political appointments, provided they had the discretionary powers to do so. Our findings suggest that the impact of women-led presidencies is conditional on the chief executive’s vested interest in gender parity and the scope of presidents’ prerogatives to appoint ambassadors. In so doing, the study contributes to debates on the descriptive underrepresentation of women in executive positions and the gender gap in diplomacy.

Madam President

Throughout the fifty-year history of the National Conference of Black Political Scientists (NCOBPS), fourteen women have served as president. In honor of the golden anniversary of NCOBPS and to highlight the experience of Black women as presidents of professional academic organizations, six of the twelve living former Black women presidents reflect on the triumphs and challenges of their tenures as former leaders through the lens of race and gender. Using a Black feminist/womanist life history study approach, this article features the written narratives of these leaders, spanning the period from 1980 to 2019. The semi-structured email interviews were conducted between May 2018 and July 2019. This article enhances our understanding of how race and gender identity can influence the decision-making of Black women presidents and how that impacts the direction of an institution like NCOBPS.

Then and Now—A Look Inside the Lives of 11 Women Presidents of the IADR

Extraordinary women scientists—past, current, and elected presidents of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR)—showcase pathways for success and leadership. In this series of autobiographical essays, these women of various cultural backgrounds with diverse areas of research describe their journeys in the passionate pursuit of excellence, despite the frequent obstacles and challenges. Through interviews and in their own words, we recap highlights of their dental research journeys and inspirations, their career trajectories toward the IADR presidency, and the benefits and challenges that they faced in their careers and personal lives. The purpose of this special issue is to honor these women, their life journeys, and how they have contributed to oral health research.

Losing Herself to Save Herself: Perspectives on Conservatism and Concepts of Self for Black Women Aspiring to the HBCU Presidency

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) often come under criticism for being havens of conservatism (Harper and Gasman 2008). This conservatism can be found intertwined in some HBCUs’ presidential hiring processes. Focusing on the lack of gender parity in the HBCU presidency, through a Black Feminist Theory lens, I argue that HBCUs using these practices for the selection of Black women presidents create a conflict of self for aspirants who do not authentically subscribe to or perform conservatism. The philosophical ideas of authenticity, self‐esteem, and self‐respect are explored to explain how these expectations create barriers to aspirants achieving their goals and their authentic selves. Subjecting Black women leaders to these practices oppresses aspirants’ need for authenticity and leads to the replication of these conservative ideologies. I conclude that these barriers, in turn, narrow the HBCU presidential pipeline and perpetuate a lack of gender parity in HBCU leadership.

The Influence of Mentorship and Role Models on University Women Leaders’ Career Paths to University Presidency

While the literature concerning female administrators in higher education indicates the critical role that mentors and role models play in contributing to women’s professional advancement, the relationship between mentorship and women’s attainment of senior leadership positions including the college presidency remain underexplored. The purpose of this study was to explore how women in key-line administrative positions to the presidency (e.g., academic dean, vice president, chief academic officer) and women presidents understood the role of mentoring relationships and role models in their career paths to leadership. This study employed a postmodern feminist theoretical framework and a feminist qualitative design to give voice to the unique and individualized ways university women in key-line positions to the presidency and women presidents made meaning of the influence of mentors and role models during their careers. Data collection involved 16 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with a criterion-based sample of 12 female key-line administrators and four presidents employed at universities located in the southeastern United States. The data analysis revealed four main themes related to: (1) the minimal role of mentors and role models; (2) gender dynamics characterizing participants’ role models and mentoring relationships; (3) mentoring moments with multiple and non-traditional mentors and role models; and (4) the benefits of mentors and/or role models. This study recognizes the participants’ complexity in their multiple identities and demonstrates women’s resourcefulness in seeking career guidance and social support from multiple sources including male and female mentors, role models, colleagues, friends, and family members.