Women lead more Mass. colleges, but numbers lag at the most elite institutions

Boston Globe
By Deirdre Fernandes

Women are leading Massachusetts colleges and universities in ­increasing numbers, but they ­remain under-represented at the state’s most elite academic institutions, according to the results of a new study released Monday.

Women hold presidencies at 34 of 92 institutions, or 37 percent, up from 31 percent in 2018, according to the Eos Foundation, which conducted the women’s power gap study.

But at the 17 public and private doctoral universities, which ­include such heavy hitters such as MIT, Harvard, Northeastern, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, women make up only 22 percent of the presidents. Women of color remain shut out at the top of the leadership ladder: They ­represent only six of the 34 female college presidents, none of the ­doctoral university presidents, and none of the board chairs of the state’s 25 public institutions.

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