Abstract:
The present study identified the factors that contributed to authorities’ decisions on women’s
leadership roles and explored the perceptions of women in science departments at Baku State
University about their progress to leadership positions. The study also discovered barriers that
women faced when seeking leadership positions.
The research on barriers causing the underrepresentation of women at higher levels of the
academic hierarchy in science in Azerbaijan is almost non-existent. In this regard, this study may be
a valuable source for future researchers in the field of science, social sciences, and education who
are interested in investigating female leadership.
The sample size consisted of three female leaders, three male leaders, and four female leaders
to be. The data were collected via semi-structured interviews and document analysis.
The data analysis started with sorting, organizing, and then coding. After coding, labeling
was applied to identify different themes and their relationships that assisted in managing the data
efficiently.
Ensuring the legitimacy and internal validity of the research findings, the data obtained from
interviews and document analysis were triangulated. To verify the research findings' accuracy and
avoid misunderstanding of what respondents stated or intended and uncover researcher biases and
misconceptions, member checks were applied. Peer review employed benefited ensuring the
reliability of the research findings.
Respondents' privacy and rights were respected and protected via a consent form. To secure
the research participants’ anonymity, their names were changed, and responses were not divulged to
anybody or discussed with others. Besides, the recorded data, transcripts, consent papers, and
audiotapes were kept in a safe place to be deleted later.
The limitation of the study was a small size, a convenience sampling to recruit participants
who were in leadership positions at BSU and the language of the study. Since this study was limited
to one university and three departments of it, the findings lacked generalization.