Muslim Women Leaders in Higher Education: The Brunei Experience

Abstract

Extensive studies on women in various leadership roles have been discussed and debated in the literature.  However, many of these discussions have been written from a Western orientation and very few studies have focused on Muslim women leaders.  There needs to be a greater representation by Muslim women in higher education leadership, wherein men hold most of the top administrative positions. This paper examines the leadership experiences of five Muslim women holding administrative positions in three higher education institutions in Brunei Darussalam. Reflection research employing semi-structured interviews is used to obtain deep insights into the values and beliefs that guide their behaviours as academic leaders. Discussions in this paper will shed light on how Muslim women manage their roles as higher education administrators, and more importantly, has the potential to provide guidance for other Muslim women in leadership positions.