The Female Voice: A Qualitative Analysis of the Experiences of Female Student Leaders at the University in Ghana

Women and leadership have been an important contribution to gender and feminist discourse. However, while this study area is important, it is still under-researched. The current study is an attempt to better understand how young female leaders in the University view leadership and perceive themselves in this field. It answered four research questions; In what ways do female student leaders perceive leadership? how do female student leaders relate to their leadership experience? do female students view their leadership experiences and more generally, do they view leadership, through a gender lens or not? and, how do they perceive the influence of the University as a socio-cultural environment on their experiences, do they view the university through a gender lens or not? The study utilized qualitative data from five (5) female student leaders who were purposively selected from the University of Cape Coast in Ghana using semi-structured interviews. The data were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. This study contributes to ongoing discussions on female student leadership and contributes to literature on this phenomenon in Ghana. The findings revealed that experiences as female student leaders are closely linked to perceptions of gender as a social construct. While some female student leaders perceive leadership positions (such as presidency) as rather difficult to access as women, while others perceive leadership positions to be gendered, yet, accessible. Women expressed agencies through various leadership strategies they adopt which enabled them to succeed as leaders and to face challenges that came their way, which this study found out was very important in their identity construction as female student leaders. Adopting leadership strategies to succeed as student leaders are linked to how the female student leaders perceive different spaces in which they find themselves (campaign space and workspace). Again, these students show creativity and innovation in the way they redefine leadership by emphasizing qualities that are usually perceived as feminine as leadership qualities. They also discuss certain behaviours they view as masculine as inadequate to show as a leader. Finally, they revalue positions (such as the secretary position) that were previously viewed as undervalued by placing emphasizes on the importance of such a position in the student association. The study also discusses the tension these students face between appearance and skills. They placed emphasize on their skills, while recognizing that appearance is important for them to win the favor of the electorates. Although they prefer to be recognized for their skills and the work they have been tasked to do as leaders rather than their appearance, they are faced with a dilemma of wanting to be leaders and wanting to be seen recognized for their skills. This finding adds to an understanding of the complexities of female leadership from the perspective of students.