Waheeda, AishathNishan, Fathmath2024-09-242024-09-242018-06journal: International journal of education, psychology and counseling, vol. 3, no. 12https://hoba.ium.edu.mv/handle/1/1932The underrepresentation of women in senior administrative positions in higher education institutions is found in many research studies across the world. Similarly, in the Maldives, the higher education sector is gender imbalanced with more males in higher positions than females. This study explored the challenges faced by women leaders in higher education institutions (HEIs) in the Republic of Maldives. The instrument used in this mixed methods research was a survey questionnaire of three sections, followed by interviews. Section One comprised of items for demographic information of the participants. Section Two comprised of 13 items on a five-point Likert scale of which item four required participants to denote whether being a woman in HEIs was challenging. Section Three of the survey questionnaire comprised an open-ended question which required participants to list their challenges in HEIs. The questionnaire was administered to randomly selected women leaders (N= 12), from five HEIs in the Maldives. The data from item four of section two of the survey questionnaire were analysed for frequencies and percentages, while the data from the open-ended question in from section three of the survey questionnaire and the interviews were analyzed thematically. The challenges experienced by women leaders in HEIs in the Maldives were found to be the heavy workload, lack of career development opportunities, voice not being heard, and lack of support. To empower women in HEIs in the Maldives, it is recommended for employers to offer flexible work schedules, focus on productivity, offer diverse professional development and trainingpdfen