Women and Leadership(s) in the Global World: objective paths and subjective trajectories in Lusophone Africa (1975-2025)

In the contemporary globalised world, discourses emphasising the importance of obtaining a higher education degree have been associated with different dimensions, in different regional contexts and reflecting different socio-historical and political-economic specificities, in line with global education agendas. Since the 1990s, global agendas have emphasised the importance of education and higher education for the social construction of democratic societies and for sustainable socio-economic development that promotes social well-being. In contemporary African societies, characterised by the late emergence of the ‘university for all’ model, the quest for massification and democratisation of access to higher education is present in public discourses and policies. From a macro-social perspective, higher education has been associated with economic growth and sustainable development; at the meso-social level, there has been an argument about the importance of investing in the intellectual, technological and technical autonomy of countries, in order to overcome the intellectual, technical and technological dependence of the countries of the so-called “Global South” on the countries of the “Western North”, and at the micro-social level, higher education has been given the role of making a significant contribution to increasing the chances of realising successful career paths, in line with neoliberal models that defend the theories of human capital, meritocracy and upward social mobility through education. In African countries, especially in terms of their historical, socio-cultural, political, geographical and economic specificities, the discourse that emphasises the importance of accessing, attending, completing and obtaining a degree in higher education with the aim of a differentiated socio-professional insertion that is guided by professional success, represented by the achievement of “leadership positions”, denotes the alignment of national contexts with the “positive social representation model” of attending higher education, associated with expectations of upward social mobility. In this sense, investment in academic capital seems to be a strategic resource for equal opportunities and can be converted, depending on the context, into more privileged positions in the professional field and the fulfilment of aspirations in the various spheres of social life. Obtaining a higher education qualification in sub-Saharan Lusophone African countries has been associated with the promotion of fairer, more egalitarian societies, with respect for human rights and global citizenship, and democratic societies, because by creating conditions for the development of individuals’ capacities and potential, it contributes to the attenuation of social differences of origin, whether socio-economic or associated with gender issues, depending on the socio-cultural and economic-political structure of the national contexts. In order to contribute to greater knowledge about the career paths of highly qualified women in African countries, with a greater focus on Portuguese-speaking countries, this research project aims to develop a study that will allow us to characterise, identify and define the profile of African women who have reached “leadership positions” in different structures and institutions, as well as in regional and international organisations, with an emphasis on socio-professional groups: – Defense and Security; – Diplomacy and International Relations; – Higher education institutions; – Top political positions. This study will revisit theories that study gender roles and stereotypes, which highlight the “ideal male leadership profile”, due to the prevalence of different social roles attributed to men and women in contemporary societies, primary and secondary socialisation processes, the unequal distribution of time allocated to paid and unpaid work, occupational segregation in the labour market and the difficulties of access to leadership and top management positions, known as the “glass ceiling” effect, in order to better understand the trajectories and paths of African women in leadership positions. Similarly, global and regional agendas will be taken into account, with emphasis on the target “Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life”, of Sustainable Development Goal 5 (SDG5) – “Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”, of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and norms from other UN agencies, as well as analysing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 – The Africa we want.