The experience of women in academics is often a journey of construction and a negotiation of identities, writes Dr Machika. The traditional ‘place’ of woman in higher education was in the role of teacher or secretary. With greater access to higher education over the past few decades, there has been a “rise of the senior woman”. The rise though has not created a strong enough impact as there still remains a significant and visible gender inequality gap at higher education institutions. This is largely because of a continuation of traditional norms, such as the conviction that management must be male-dominated.