Why 80% Of Best Universities In The World Are Led By Women

For the first time in history, 80 percent of the best universities in the world will be led by women, including Harvard, Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Cambridge. This will come true by July 2023, as per the information given by the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2023.

Oxford being the first as per the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings is currently led by Irene Tracey, Second in the list is Harvard and the joint third Cambridge will be led by Claudine Gay and Deborah Prentice respectively by July 2023 and last but not the least Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) being the fifth in the list is led by Sally Kornbluth.

Women led Universities

Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2023 also provided the information that approximately a quarter, which means about 48 out of the world's top 200 universities either have women vice-chancellors or presidents. The numbers have increased since the last year when there were just 43 women in the top positions. With 12 percent more women in top positions as compared to last year and about 41 percent more as compared to the five years.

This can be the result of the uptick of new appointments in the United States and Germany. As per the data, the United States has a fairly high proportion of ">women-led top universities which is 16 out of  58. Five of the leading universities in Germany are headed by women which is three more than the previous year. Which includes the University of Freiburg headed by Kerstin Krieglstein, the Technical University of Berlin led by Geraldine Rauch and the University of Tübingen by Karla Pollmann. They were the first women to lead their institutions.

The same can be seen in other European countries like France with 3 out of 5, the United Kingdom with 8 out of 28 and the Netherlands with 5 out of 10 top universities headed by women. In Asia, women have been reaching the top positions actively, like the President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Neuroscientist Nancy Ip also the first woman in the top 200 universities in the whole region for the last five years. The institution has completed nearly 20 years and has seen the President change about five times with a woman being president for the very first time.

Even Saudi Arabia has a woman in the leading position as an interim, Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim is leading King Abdulaziz University which is also the largest university in Saudi Arabia as the interim woman leader. As per the reports,   the number of women top bosses in global universities has been increasing continuously with 43 in the year 2022, 41 in 2021, 39 in 2020 and just 34 in 2019.

This comes as great news and brings hope for equality around the world the Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2023 also shows that out of the 27 countries which had their universities featured in the list of the top 200, 44 percent which means 12 countries didn't have any women in the position of leaders in their top universities or institutions.

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