Listen "Women Shaking Up Universities"
Episode Synopsis
What difference does it make when women run universities? There are many higher education leaders who champion the idea of diversity, but few of them truly embody it, so the view from the top is still largely pale and male. Kim Chakanetsa talks to two women who are shaking things up in their institutions in the United States and Ecuador.Ana Mari Cauce is the first woman, the first Latina and the first openly gay president of the University of Washington in Seattle, US. She says it’s important to remember that universities began as monastic institutions built with men in mind, and she often finds that they still struggle to adapt to the presence of women.Cecilia Paredes Verduga is the first female Rector of the highest-ranking public university in Ecuador, ESPOL (Escuela Superior Politecnica del Litoral). With a background in the male-dominated field of engineering and in a country with a culture of machismo, Cecilia feels it's important to be herself in the role and to say things as they are.L Cecilia Paredes Verduga (credit: Jose Javier Roldos)
R Ana Mari Cauce (credit: University of Washington)
R Ana Mari Cauce (credit: University of Washington)
More episodes of the podcast The Conversation
Women living with severe allergies
15/12/2025
Women tracking hurricanes
08/12/2025
What my disability taught me about parenting
01/12/2025
Weavers reviving an ancient technology
24/11/2025
Women at the forefront of medical research
19/11/2025
Behind the smiles of artistic swimming
10/11/2025
Female breadwinners
03/11/2025
Life as a top female referee
27/10/2025
Using sound as a tool for conservation
20/10/2025
Women giving cash to new mums
13/10/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.