Institutional Gender Change in Higher Education? Resistance and Perspectives from a Scoping Review of Literature
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12795/revistafuentes.2025.26525Keywords:
Higher Education, Gender Equality, Social Change, Institutionalization, Democratization, Resistance to Change, FeminismAbstract
The aim of this review is to provide an overview of recent scientific literature on the development of institutional mechanisms for gender equality in higher education, focusing on obstacles and resistances from a feminist institutional change perspective. The PRISMA-ScR method was used to review and select literature published between 2019 and 2023, available in Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar. The selected articles were analyzed through thematic content analysis, identifying eight key themes: gender equality policies, institutional change, resistance to change, interpretive frameworks, masculine academic culture, policy frameworks, gender mainstreaming, and gender actors. The results indicate that despite the implementation of equality policies and plans, institutional and cultural resistances persist, limiting their effectiveness. These resistances are associated with an androcentric academic culture, limited resources, and insufficient institutional support. Additionally, equality policies are often implemented under efficiency and competitiveness frameworks, reducing their transformative potential. The effectiveness of gender mainstreaming in higher education depends on institutional commitment and recognition of gender as a key dimension of organizational norms. The review concludes that equality policies are necessary but insufficient without sustained commitment and effective monitoring to ensure meaningful, sustainable changes. It emphasizes the importance of addressing gender change in higher education as cultural change, providing insights for future interventions.
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