"In my country, it is no longer necessary to argue that leadership is not determined by gender, but by a person's ability to mobilise people towards a common goal," writes Prof. Dr. Inga Žalėnienė, Rector of Mykolas Romeris University (MRU), Vice-President of the International Association of University Presidents (IAUP) and member of the Executive Board of the European Women's Rectors Association (EWORA), in a publication entitled "Spotlighting Female Leadership: Strategies, Stories and Perspectives".

MRU Rector Prof Dr I. Žalėnienė shares her insights on women's leadership maturity in Lithuanian academia with an international audience. The rector emphasises the importance of strengthening the country's statehood for women's growing leadership opportunities.

"I was only a teenager, but I still remember the indescribable joy when the Soviet army left Lithuania in 1993. With Lithuania's freedom, academic freedom also took on real meaning. When Lithuania became a member of NATO and the EU, new opportunities opened up for the development of higher education and close cooperation with the international academic community. New opportunities also arose for women to take real leadership roles, not just to be rewarded with the "traditional" bouquet of tulips on 8 March," says Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė in her article "If we want to defend women's rights, we must defend women's right to live in freedom, democracy and peace".

In her opinion, this is one of the reasons why the mission of strengthening Lithuania's democratic state and the defence of universal human rights is so important for the MRU's academic community.

“MRU is sometimes called the "most feminine" university in Lithuania, because women in leadership positions outnumber those taken by men. To me, such a remark sounds like a compliment, although I believe that gender is not a determining factor for success in any activity. The success of a leader in academia depends on his or her personal qualities. Leadership requires the ability to keep things in perspective and the perseverance to achieve goals, an understanding of the needs of the community and the patience to work long and hard, not for one's own personal career, but for the benefit of the whole university community. Both women and men can be leaders, but women still face artificial barriers which may be different in each case”, writes the MRU Rector. 

Although Lithuania, as a democratic country, has no legal barriers to women's professions, as Professor I. Žalėnienė points out, it was only in 2018 that a woman was elected president for the first time in Lithuania (at the Lithuanian University of Sport, LSU). "As a result, together with my colleague, we had to break some of the stereotypes," the MRU head adds. 

"Unfortunately, relics of stereotypical thinking still exist even in academia. At my university, I felt and still feel the trust and support of most of my colleagues, both women and men, but it took some time for the academic and scientific elite to 'let' women into their circle".

Today, four of Lithuania's 11 public universities are headed by women. Last year, Prof. Dr I. Žalėnienė was elected Vice-President of the Lithuanian University Rectors' Conference (LURK).

"Considering that the first university in Lithuania was founded in 1579, it is fair to say that there has finally been a real breakthrough for women in the field of academic leadership. In my country, it is no longer necessary to argue that leadership is not determined by gender, but by a person's ability to mobilise people towards a common goal. I try to create an atmosphere of inclusive leadership, fair competition, attentive and respectful attitude towards every member of the University community".

Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė recalled in the IAUP publication that in 2021 the MRU Senate approved the Equal Opportunities and Diversity Policy, which the university is successfully implementing. According to Times Higher Education, in 2023 MRU was ranked among the 201-300 most influential universities in the world in terms of gender equality.

In 2023, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Law on Equal Opportunities in Lithuania, the Rector of MRU received a Certificate of Recognition for her significant and historically significant contribution to the achievement of equal opportunities in Lithuanian society. The same certificates were also presented to Professor Toma Birmontiene, Professor of Law at MRU, and Professors Danuta Jočienė and Edita Žiobienė.

"I have no doubt that women have also contributed to changing attitudes towards women's leadership by demonstrating their competence and leadership in a wide range of activities, despite visible and invisible barriers. It is important that women leaders not only encourage the growth of young women leaders by example, but also participate in educational activities, publicly raise human rights issues, and help create an inclusive and harmonious society in which stereotypes about both women and men, as well as all marginalised groups in society, disappear".

"Such changes do not happen overnight, but require a process of social maturation that requires patience, knowledge and sometimes courage. We, women, must not wait for change to happen, but initiate it ourselves," writes Prof. Dr. I. Žalėnienė.

"Of course, women's leadership can be overcome if women are free to realise their talents and pursue their dreams. For where there is no freedom and democracy, where human rights are not respected, women's rights are at best a declaration on paper. It is not only women who suffer - society as a whole suffers. Therefore, I would like to remind future women leaders that if we want to defend women's rights, we must defend women's right to live in freedom, democracy and peace. Without these fundamental values, developed by the brightest minds of humanity, even the greatest scientific discoveries will not create the good and right conditions for your talents to flourish".

The full article by Prof. Dr. I. Zaleniene can be found in English in the IAUP's journal "Spotlighting Female Leadership: Strategies, Stories and Perspectives" (106 pages).