ABSTRACT

This article explores the experience of women academics in Saudi Arabia’s higher education. Based on narrative inquiry and underpinned by Bourdieu’s work, I trace the influence of SA’s educational policy and the broader impact of patriarchal norms on the experience of 10 women academics. The article argues that gendered expectations mean that leadership roles within Higher Education (HE) are predominantly held by men, and women are prevented from fully participating in research, decision-making processes and other Higher Education activities beyond teaching and administration. The narratives presented in this article illustrate that HE in Saudi Arabia remains dominated by traditional patriarchal consciousness. The article concludes that to bring about change, women’s sections in Saudi universities need financial, administrative and academic independence.

摘要

本文探讨了沙特阿拉伯高等教育中女性学者的经历。基于叙事探究并以 Bourdieu 的工作为基础，我追溯了 SA 教育政策的影响以及父权规范对 10 位女性学者的经历的更广泛影响。文章认为，性别期望意味着高等教育 (HE) 中的领导角色主要由男性担任，女性无法充分参与教学和管理之外的研究、决策过程和其他高等教育活动。本文中的叙述表明，沙特阿拉伯的高等教育仍然由传统的父权意识主导。文章的结论是，要带来变革，沙特大学的女性部门需要财务、