Paper Title
Opening Doors, Not Pathways: The Glass Ceiling and Women’s Leadership Parity in a Reforming Context

Abstract
This qualitative multi-case study explores the barriers manifested by perceptions of the "glass ceiling" that Saudi female academic leaders face in their progression toward and within governance positions in Saudi public universities. Taking place amidst great social change in the Kingdom, this study is theoretically underpinned by feminist standpoint theory in order to foreground the voices and life narratives of such women. Data are based on semi-structured interviews that were conducted with 20 purposively sampled female faculty members from different faculty ranks in eight public universities in Saudi Arabia. The study examines how the leaders frame specific obstacles, strategically make their way through the changing landscape of the Kingdom, and how they interpret the convergence of these issues within their involvement in shaping the direction of universities. The results will afford evidence to inform efforts to develop more inclusive leadership processes in Saudi Arabian higher education.