The nature of women's power: An interpretive analysis of perceptions of selected senior administrators in higher education

The purpose of this study was to examine the nature of power to women who are in a position to have it and to use it. This was accomplished in the following manner: (a) constructing a conceptual framework of women's power from the author's personal reflections and selected pertinent research; (b) conducting in-depth semi-structured interviews with five senior administrators from higher education; (c) developing a thematic analysis of the data that emerged from these interviews; (d) interpreting the themes theoretically and personally against a background of the relevant literature and the researcher's reflections; (e) suggesting a new paradigm that is more appropriate for women's power.;The investigation was conducted through the qualitatively analytical technique of interpretive inquiry. Data gathered from the interviews were phenomenologically analyzed to reveal how the selected senior administrators perceived power generally and their own power specifically. Identified perceptions of power were interpreted theoretically and personally within the previously constructed conceptual framework.;Insights based upon the perceptions of the five selected women are as follows: (a) Power is connected to intense commitments, to love and caring, to action, to adaptability and creativity, to the motivating, influencing and empowering of others, to the accepting of one's circumstances, to integrity and "goodness," and to an optimistic worldview. (b) Women tend to have a collaborative power style. (c) There is an enormous responsibility associated with power to other people, the future, and larger systems. (d) The closest synonym for power for a woman is "influence"; the word "control" meant not control of others but control of self. (e) The male paradigm of levels of power had limited applicability for women, and the following model was suggested as levels of power that are appropriate for women: (1) the power to be; (2) the power to control oneself while still not hurting others; (3) the power to maintain one's values in the face of obstacles while still caring for others; (4) the power to influence others with integrity while still being generous; (5) the power to affect the future of systems in positive ways.;Recommendations include research into nonpowerful women, additional groups of powerful women, groups of women with historically traditional female roles, and men.