International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
The World Academy for the Future of Women: A global model to women’s leadership
Suzanne M. Martin
Ph.D., University of Central Florida, USA
Email: suzanne.martin@ucf.edu, Phone number: 407-823-4260
Shiva Jahani
Ph. D., University of Central Florida, USA
Email: shiva.Jahani@ucf.edu
Phone number: 407-227-1191
Kara Rosenblatt
Ph.D., The University of Texas of Permian Basin, USA
Email: rosenblatt_k@utpb.edu, Phone number: (432) 552-2128
Abstract
The United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization estimate that over 40 million
girls worldwide are not being given the same educational opportunities as boys. The World
Academy for the Future of Women (WAFW) leadership preparation program for young women
is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving girls’ and young women’s access to
education and increasing the inclusion of women in our global society. The WAFW’s mission is
to empower women to discover their passion and purpose through a global leadership
development program. This manuscript discusses the fully volunteer model of the WAFW, the
next steps to be conducted in the expansion of the WAFW, as well as the in-depth findings from
the participant and facilitator survey. Overall, survey responses indicated high rates of
participant and facilitator knowledge of the vision, mission and goals of the WAFW, and value
in continuing the WAFW.
Keywords Educating young women, Education equality, Leadership education
Paper type: Empirical Paper
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1. Introduction
Women's empowerment and the promotion of gender equality are key to achieving
sustainable development. Greater gender equality can enhance economic efficiency and improve
other development outcomes by removing barriers that prevent women from having the same
access as men to human resource endowments, rights, and economic opportunities. Giving
women access to equal opportunities allows them to emerge as social and economic actors,
influencing and shaping policies that are more inclusive. Improving women’s status also leads to
more investment in their children’s education, health, and overall wellbeing (2012,
http://data.worldbank.org/topic/gender; p. 1).
As a society, and in some countries by law, we are obligated to provide equal opportunity
education for all students. Yet, in many parts of the world educational opportunities for female
students are not provided at the equal level as those provided to male students; in some countries,
they are not available at all (Martin, 2013). In fact, the United Nations Education, Scientific and
Cultural Organization reports that over 40 million girls worldwide do not have the opportunity to
attend primary school like their male counterparts (2007). As of 2006, a half a billion girls
between the ages of 6-11 were not enrolled in school (Cameron, 2012; Lewis & Lockheed,
2006). The circumstances of women and girls wield dire consequences for women’s access to
educational and economic opportunities and services, marginalizing their ability to gain equality
and improve the overall quality of life for their families and communities. For example, the
United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) found that while women
perform 66% of the world’s work and create half of the food, they earn but 10% of the income,
and only 1% owning any property (UNICEF, 2007).
The discrimination against women is far-reaching and epidemic. Violence, abuse and
exploitation against women is an accepted practice in large sectors of the world, including firstworld countries (Amnesty International, 2009). Women in first-world countries are still fighting
for equality in the workplace. For example, when the Equal Opportunity Commission (2014)
reviewed the leadership positions at Google, they found that 87% of the engineers are men, 79%
of the managers are men and of its 36 executives, only three (8%) are women. In institutions of
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higher education, where liberal thinking is generally embraced, Moss-Racusin, Dovidio,
Brescoll, Graham, & Handelsman (2012) found that discrimination also exists in the hiring
practices of higher education faculty. Moss-Racusin and colleagues’ research reviewed the
science faculty hires at Yale University in 2012 to determine if bias existed in selection of
science faculty. Unfortunately, their study revealed that bias towards male candidates existed
within both male and female faculty committee members. In the United Kingdom, Kabeer
(2005) found that only 18% of Parliament members are female.
According to the Women’s
Institute for Policy Research (2013), female full-time workers make $.78 for every dollar earned
by men. There is no doubt that women have the skills to lead in the workplace (NCES, 2012), yet
the issue seems clear that even with the skills to lead and create comparable quality work,
discrimination of an economic nature still exists.
Due to the plight of girls around the globe, there has been a growing push by
international organizations to improve the educational opportunities for girls and women. By the
year 2000, girls’ and women’s education became a priority for international organizations
(Vaughn, 2010) who shared the common goals of improving access to education for girls and
getting girls to attend school in equal numbers to their boy peers (Chismaya, DeJaeghere,
Kendall, & Khan, 2012). The organizations, including the Education for All campaign, the Fast
Track Initiative, and the Millennium Development Goals (Vaughn, 2013) are and continue to be
dedicated to the advancement gender equality in education.
Research from around the globe indicates a strong connection between education, social
development and economic growth. Banyard (2010) found that children in Africa are 40% more
likely to live beyond the age of 5 if their mothers are educated at least to the primary level.
When reviewing the impact a primary education can have on girls, de Guevara & Hernandez
(2012) found that
“Elementary education provides the possibility of modifying girls’ futures, particularly if
the school becomes a place where there is dialog between custom and equity. Therefore, in order
to build more promising futures for Indigenous girls’, teachers and planners in elementary
education must take into consideration the girls’ social and cultural environments to encourage
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their participation in formal education” (p. 127).
In addition to the findings of de Guevara & Hernandez, Kabeer found that
Education increases the likelihood that women will look after their own well-being along
with that of their family, it can bring about changes in cognitive ability, which is essential to
women’s capacity to question, to reflect on, and to act on the conditions of their lives, and that
educated women also appear less likely to suffer from domestic violence. (p. 16)
Essentially, educating this marginalized population can provide women with a sense of
empowerment that has implications for socio-economic and cultural well-being (Seeberg, 2008;
Seeberg, 2014; Seeberg & Lou, 2012).
In 2000, the United Nations developed a 15-year action agenda to address pervasive
international issues related to poverty, equality, education, health, the environment and the need
for global partnership development. Issues of violence and discrimination against women still
receive much attention, particularly in 2014. While valued and respected, the work that has been
done in the past 15 years has not resolved the enormous issues described in the initial United
Nations Millennium Development Goals (UNMDG). The current data have not shown a
significant or sufficient decline related to these critical human needs. Although resources and
solutions already exist that would address these issues, the key and missing component is women
in leadership roles. Women do not have access to education, health services and other essential
services to have a healthy productive life. Gender equality has still not been achieved. Until
women have greater representation in government, society, business, education, health and
community, the possibility of achieving these goals is compromised.
In light of the devastating information reported concerning women and girls and the
opportunities provided them, the World Academy for the Future of Women (WAFW) was
created in 2009. The WAFW theoretical framework is aligned with the Women Empowerment
principals which state
Establish high-level corporate leadership for gender equality
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Treat all women and men fairly at work - respect and support human rights and
nondiscrimination
Ensure the health, safety and well-being of all women and men workers
Promote education, training and professional development for women
Implement enterprise development, supply chain and marketing practices that
empower women
Promote equality through community initiatives and advocacy
Measure and publicly report on progress to achieve gender equality
The purpose of the WAFW is to advance and accelerate women’s leadership worldwide.
It is the mission of the WAFW to empower women through the discovery of their passion,
purpose and path to success, calling forth the full expression of human possibilities through
collaborative and inclusive partnerships.
The program has been built on the concept of
partnership and volunteerism (http:/wafw.org) and is a huge step in preparing young women to
inspire, empower and engage others to achieve their goals. The WAFW is offered to universities
as a series of learning modules. Students who demonstrate the desire for leadership roles apply
to become members and participate in learning modules and leadership development
experiences. The WAFW believes that by activating the natural leadership qualities within
women and girls, young women will be able to find their voices and develop their strength and
confidence to become members of the larger global voice that is working to meet the UNMDG).
The main components of the program are the facilitators who deliver the leadership
content, the mentors who support the members in the program and universities that partner with
the organization to provide the room and board for the facilitators. For the past five years, the
WAFW has worked in partnership with the SIAS International University and has grown to
include the first year Academy, the second year Advanced Academy, the third year Academy in
Action, and the Men’s Academy for the Future of Women. The WAFW selects university
students from various schools of study at the university who demonstrate leadership qualities.
The application process involves an application, letters of recommendation and documentation of
commitment to the program by promising to give at least 8-10 hours a week to the WAFW in
addition to their undergraduate studies. A key component of the Academy is the eight modules
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of study that are designed to explain the meaning and purpose of the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals. The eight modules are: Module 1: Creating Possibilities; Module 2: Your
Leadership: Discovering and Exploration; Module 3: Embracing Passion and Purpose; 4:
Community Building; Module 5: Capacity Building; Module 6: Project Development; Module 7:
Project Implementation; and, Module 8: Legacy of Your Leadership. Volunteer facilitators who
have served in leadership roles in business, industry, medicine and education present the
modules to academy members. The facilitators attend a three-day conference that prepares them
to deliver the content of the modules at a university with whom WAFW partners.
The intent of our study was to gather initial data on the value of the Academy. The
evaluation component of WAFW was undertaken to determine, through survey research, the
members’ knowledge, perceptions and opinions about the WAFW.
2. Methodology and Finding
The population for this study consisted of the 420 students who had been enrolled and
completed the WAFW. The sample was the entire population. The sample was contacted
through email message and asked to participate in the survey. The survey was sent to all the 420
students in the population. A follow-up reminder to complete the survey was sent at the end of
two weeks with a third request to complete the study sent at the end of four weeks.
The population of this study was 420 WAFW members between the ages of 18-25 and
100 facilitators between the ages of 31-79. This study was conducted through an e-mail contact
list that contained all current and past WAFW members from various schools of study at SIAS
University, and 100 WAFW volunteer facilitators. A team of five young women in Zhengzhou,
China assisted in the project by collecting the e-mail addresses and sending them to the
researchers. Two surveys were used; one for WAFW members and one for WAFW facilitators.
The researchers contacted all members using the email addresses supplied by the university. A
second email was sent reminding members to complete the survey, followed by a phone call
from the Sias University team members. After making three attempts to contact all members,
335 of the 420 WAFW members (80%) accessed the survey through the Qualtrics link provided
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to them on the survey. Of the 363 who began the survey, 247 completed the survey showing a
68% completion rate. The facilitators were contacted via email and asked to access the survey
also available through the Qualtrics link. While 100 facilitators were contacted, 40 facilitators
completed the surveys. As with the participant email retrieval difficulties, the authors found it
challenging to obtain all the email addresses of the facilitators as no central data base existed.
SIAS International University, Zhengzhou, China is the first solely American-owned
University in Central China. The university combines the concepts of Chinese and Western
educational philosophies as it aims to develop opportunities for students make contributions to
the modernization and economic development of China. The President of SIAS University
provides great support to the WAFW by providing room and board for facilitators, space for
classes and university assistance to the program. The WAFW curriculum has been delivered for
the past five years.
According to Ary, RJacobs, Razavieh & Sorenson (2006), in survey research,
investigators ask questions about peoples’ beliefs, opinions, characteristics, and behavior. The
survey questionnaire is widely used as a source of data in studies in sociology, business,
psychology, political science, and education (p. 400). The surveys were developed with the
WAFW Board of Directors over an eight-week period and were based upon the mission, vision,
oath, and module content.
Two surveys were conducted using Qualtrics on line software; one survey for the WAFW
members and one for the WAFW facilitators. The WAFW members’ survey consisted of 47
questions. Six questions asked for demographic data. Questions seven through twelve asked
about university status questions while questions thirteen through nineteen asked graduate school
status. Questions twenty and twenty one asked why members choose the Academy and how long
they participated. Question 22 asked members to describe the most significant moment in their
program, and questions twenty three to forty seven used a Likert scale to determine member’s
perceptions and knowledge about the WAFW. The survey was conducted using an online survey
software product and remained open for six weeks.
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The facilitator survey was based on the same mission, vision, goals and activities as the
participant survey. The facilitators were asked to provide demographic information of gender,
age, length of time s/he had been a facilitator, number of times s/he had facilitated a module, and
if s/he had attended the Women’s Symposium at Sias University which is designed and hosted
by the WAFW. The facilitator survey consisted of 21 statements in a Likert scale format and
three open ended questions.
Student Results
Table 1 presents the demographic characteristics of the participant’s sample.
Table 1: Demographic Characteristics of the Sample
Variable
Category
Percentage
Gender
Male
Female
Yes
No
Business program
Language
Technology Program
Nursing
Education
Yes
13
87
49
50
35
13
8
7
6
31
Graduation
Program
Scholarship
WAFW participants
The average age of the respondents was 21 years old, and most (87%) were female.
When asked about graduation from the university, 49% had graduated and 50% had not
graduated. All participants were either current WAFW members or WAFW alumni. The survey
participants were freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors in college or had already graduated.
The distribution across freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years of study was almost even.
Data on specific majors were most common amongst WAFW members and alumni were not
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gathered, however, the majority of the students reported being in a business program (35%),
language study (13%), technology programs 8% of the respondents, 7% of respondents were
from nursing and 6% from education. The researchers believe that part of the limitations of
conducting international research is the fact that often times the first language of the researcher
differs from that of the individuals involved. In this study and for this question in particular,
language and translation issues appear to be partially the reason for the lack of responses.
The final section of the WAFW participant survey involved 24 questions with Likert
scale responses. This paper conducts a principal component Analysis with varimax rotation from
selected responses. Factor analysis was used to identify the cluster of intercorrelated variables
(calls factors). It is a tool for analyzing the structure of the interrelationship (correlations) among
variables and helps to verify the conceptualization of the construct. Factor loading shows the
correlation between each variable and the degree of correspondence between the variable and the
factor as well. The high value of factor loading shows how well the variable is representative of
that factor. Hair et al. (2006) suggested that for differing sample size, there are significant
differences in factor loadings. As the sample size in this study is 247, a cut off value of factor
loading as 0.55 and above is significant. This means that cross loading between factors occurs
when another factor has value of factor loading as .55. If the items are persistently having cross
loading, it has to be deleted.
The majority (93%) of respondents indicated knowledge of the vision, mission and goals
of the WAFW. However, only half of the participants knew of the WAFW’s focus on successful
implementation of the United Nations Millennium Goals 2 and 3 – Achieve Universal Primary
Education and Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women. Additionally, 50% of the
WAFW members were aware of the U.N. Millennium Goals, thus indicating that the findings
were directly related to the questions of knowledge of the U.N Millennium Goals.
The responses overall indicate value in continuing the WAFW. Ninety three percent of
the respondents knew and believed in the oath, a one page oath where the participants swear to
act ethically and according to the all the ethical rules of the WAFW. After completing the
instructional modules almost 88 % of the young women believed they had inner strength that
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would allow them to be global leaders and that WAFW was critical to being a successful woman.
Similarly, 88% of the WAFW members understood how to utilize the problem solving skills
learned and to generate new strategies and approaches to solve global problems.
The Likert scale survey for the participants included the question in the Appendix 1 that
is provided at the end of the manuscript.
Facilitator Results
With a completion rate of 40% being typical of the population in age and gender, the
response rate for the facilitator survey is deemed acceptable. Table 2 presents the demographic
characteristics of the facilitator’s sample.
Table 2: Demographic Characteristics of the Sample
Variable
Category
Percentage
Gender
Male
Female
31-35
36-43
44-50
50-59
60-69
70-79
3 month to 1 year
1 year to 2 years
2 years to 3 years
3 years to 4 years
4 years to five years
0
37
14
5
5
41
32
3
53
14
17
8
8
Have not
One time
Two times
54
41
5
Age
Have been facilitator
Have facilitated a module
All survey respondents were women. Facilitators, on average, were between 50-59 years
old. A majority of the respondents (73%) were between 50-69 years of age. More than half of
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the facilitators began facilitating in the three months to one year before responding to the survey,
followed by facilitating for two to three years (17%), one to two years (14%), and finally eight
percent of the facilitators reported volunteering for three years to four years and another 8% four
to five years. A total of 46% of the respondents have taught at least one module (41% one time,
5% two times) and 54% have never facilitated a module.
Facilitators answered Likert-scale questions related to their perceptions and knowledge
about the WAFW curriculum, evaluation and facilitation. Results indicate that 97% of the
respondents believe the modules cover the leadership topics that will allow participants to
become empowered women and 100% believed in the importance of the power of developing
leadership capabilities that will allow women to fully engage in our global future. When asked
about solving global problems, 92 % of the respondents agreed that the Academy is critical to
assuring women are equal partners in solving our global problems and 95% understand the
importance of leaving a legacy. Half of those who facilitated a module at Sias University
reported that she would volunteer for another facilitator assignment. See Appendix 2 provide at
the end of this manuscript.
3. Discussion and Outcomes
The survey closed and findings are still being mined for meaning. The data present some
interesting preliminary findings. The average age of the WAFW member respondents was 21
years old and 87% being female.
As previously discussed, 49% of the WAFW member
respondents had graduated from college and 50% had not graduated. The distribution across
freshman, sophomore, junior and senior years of study was almost even with a slight majority of
members being in their sophomore year.
The outcomes of this study were many. Specifically, the young people who participated
in the study assured the WAFW executive board that the need for such a program is great. The
responses indicated the program supported many young women who had not yet found their
leadership voice and in so doing, the WAFW provided them with newfound strength to complete
their college education. The students who participated were definitely the beneficiaries of the
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curriculum as the results show, over 40% of the participants continue to graduate school and the
number of external internships in the WAFW increased from 1 in year 3 to 9 in year 5 . Ninety
percent of the participants reported that the WAFW allowed them to learn to follow and express
their passion. The authors believe that the other benefits of having such a highly educated group
of young women also benefit the planet. For example, projects completed during the five years
of WAFW include a project that provides lunch to children who otherwise would not be fed, a
project that partners college students with young school age children with disabilities for
learning opportunities that is truly building a more inclusive culture, and a project that has
provided water to a village where none had been. These projects are but three of the projects that
have evolved from WAFW in the past five years and are huge accomplishments.
Two interesting facts that are indicated by the data are that only 31% of the members
received a scholarship and that the majority of the members who had graduated were either in
graduate school or applying to be in graduate school. The scholarship was surprising to the
WAFW Board of Directors, as they had perceived scholarship to be a main reason for
participation. Yet when asked further in the survey why the members joined the WAFW, the
majority (90%) of responses indicated a desire to discover their passion, purpose and path to
success. The issue of attending graduate school also was interesting as it had not been an
intention of the WAFW and yet seemed logical for young leaders to choose advanced education.
The early lack of knowledge to the UNMDG was not surprising, as the young people involved in
the survey had not been exposed to them prior to the WAFW. Many of the participants were
following cultural precedence of parents making choices for them in terms of education and
majors. The authors believe the findings indicate that the participants, like many other young
people their age, do not know what they are fully capable of achieving and having the
experiences in the WAFW helps guide them to their best potential.
The WAFW is a total volunteer, grass roots effort. The facilitators involved in the project
pay all their costs, from facilitator induction to plane fare to the country where the WAFW is
housed. The qualitative responses from the facilitators were enlightening and already have led to
change. A cadre of facilitators who donated three days of their time, travel, and expenses
redesigned the curriculum modules to include an evaluation component. The survey being
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discussed in this manuscript has been redesigned and will be used in a pre and post-test fashion
to gather data from the new class of participants during Module 1 and again in Module 8. The
former facilitator training has been completely modified and now will be an orientation to the
WAFW with preparation in delivering the modules in the project.
The work presented in this manuscript is data collected for the first time in WAFW
history. We have learned a tremendous amount about the project and the research activities that
will help us produce more and different data in the future. For example, we would like to be able
to match the facilitators with the participants each year to get more in depth, qualitative
information from both groups.
4. Limitations
Considering the scope of this research project, the limitations are few. One main issue
was having two different languages spoken. Even with the participants speaking English, the
interpretation of some of the questions may have been confusing. We base this assumption on the
number of written responses that were left empty. In terms of reliability and validity, we were
using the surveys for the first time. We were unable to pilot the surveys, as we did not have a
comparable population.
5. Impact of study on WAFW
The findings of the two surveys have been presented to the executive board of the
WAFW. As the WAFW matures, builds on its five years of experience and finds its footing in
implementing the leadership work for young women around the globe, the executive board has
used the findings of these surveys and changes have been made. We conducted our first full
curriculum review of the modules in summer of 2014. The curriculum review led to a
reevaluation and a redesign of the modules, the addition of an evaluation component for each
module and, a change in the professional development provided the facilitators. The study led to
a pre and posttest model being used for the sixth year participants that entails surveying them
during module 1 and at completion of the last module 8.
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6. Conclusions
Our mandate as members of the WAFW is to provide young women opportunities to
expand and express their leadership behaviors. While cultural differences do play a role in how
this mandate is achieved, it is gratifying to find a program such as the WAFW that has been
providing young women (and now men) free and appropriate opportunities to become leaders in
our global society. While the U.N. Millennium Goals were to be solved by the end of 2014, we
are far from that goal. Creating a program that provides leadership preparation for young women
and men is surely a step in the right direction. To provide opportunities to learn that gender
equity is a key component of sustainable global development and for women to be empowered to
be equal members in a developed society is a critical step forward for all. We are passionate
believers in the potential of educated young women and look to the future when all girls and
young women will have the opportunities for education, as do the young women who participate
in the WAFW.
We know that there are still horrendous problems facing young women around the world
today and we know we still need to work for global solutions so that all women will be treated
equally. As Sheryl Sandberg states in her book, Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead
(2013), “being aware of a problem is the first step in correcting it” (p.81)
7. Limitations
Several challenges arose from this task, including obtaining up-to-date e-mail addresses,
overcoming the limited ability to send e-mail information about the survey from the United
States into China, compensating for the language barrier associated with working with a team
who spoke Mandarin when the researchers did not, overcoming the limited ability of the
participants to respond to the survey written in English, and compensating for the knowledge that
the participants lacked the physical presence of the researcher to answer any questions the young
people might have about the survey in person.
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Disclosure of Conflict of Interest:
The University of Central Florida defines conflict of interest as, “A potential conflict of
interest exists when a university employee’s Significant Financial Interest (SFI), which is
defined by the regulation as anything of monetary value including salary, equity interest, and/or
intellectual property rights could directly and significantly affect the DESIGN, CONDUCT or
REPORTING of research.” No conflict of interest exists for the authors of this paper. No gain of
any type is expected from this publication. For transparency sake, the lead author is a member of
the executive board of the World Academy for the Future of Women and completed this research
during a full academic sabbatical award. She is a nationally recognized scholar and as a professor
has conducted numerous surveys without conflict.
Research Involving Human Participants and /or Animals:
“The Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the University of Central Florida is organized
and operates in compliance with the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services (DHHS) and
Food & Drug Administration regulations for the protection of human subjects, State of Florida
law, and the University of Central Florida policies for the conduct of human subject research.
The lead author has been trained and certified in the human subject policy and procedures. This
survey research was conducted using an on-line survey tool. No human subjects were harmed.
Informed Consent:
Informed consent was obtained from all subjects who participated in the survey. The online survey software provides an option for individuals to opt out of the study for any reason. No
subjects were identified in the analysis or report of this project.
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Moss-Racusin, C., Dovidio, J. Brescoll, V., Graham, M. and Handelsman, J. (2012) Science
faculty's subtle gender biases favor male students. PNAS, 109, 16474-16479.
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Through
2021-22.
Retrieved
from
http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/dl2/tables/dt12_283.asp
Sandberg, S.& Scovell, N. (2013). Lean-in: Women, work and the will to lead. New York, NY:
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Seeberg, V. (2008). Girls first! Promoting early education in Tibetan areas of China, a case
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Seeberg, V. (2014). Girls’ schooling empowerment in rural China: Identifying capabilities and
social change in the village. Comparative Education Review, 58(4), 678-707.
Seeberg, V., & Lou, S. (2012). Do village girls gain empowering capabilities through schooling
and what functionings do they value? Frontiers Education in China, 7(3), 347-375.
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International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
UNICEF
(2015)
Basic
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and
gender
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Retrieved
from
http://www.unicef.org/education/bege_70640.html
Vaughan, R. P. (2010). Girls’ and women’s education within Unesco and the World Bank, 19452000. Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education, 40(4), 405-423.
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World Academy for the Future of Women (2009) http://wafw.org/ [website]
Somewhat Agree
Somewhat Disagree
Disagree
Total Responses
Mean
Per
Question
Agree
#
Strongly agree
Appendix 1: Likert scale questions for the participants
129
58
5
1
0
193
1.32
97%
133
53
6
1
0
193
1.31
96%
115
63
15
0
0
193
1.42
92%
The purpose of the World Academy for the
23
Future of Women is to advance and accelerate
women's leadership worldwide.
The mission of the Academy is to empower
24
women through the discovery of their passion,
purpose and path to success
The goal of the Academy is to fully engage in
a new future for women worldwide providing
25
women opportunities to become equal partners
on the global playing field.
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International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
The Academy is focused on preparing women
26
and men for leadership roles that assist in
93
74
22
4
0
193
1.59
87%
94
78
18
3
0
193
1.56
89%
32
53
44
21
193
2.71
44%
achieving the United Nations
The Academy is focused on preparing women
and men for leadership roles that assist in
27
achieving the United Nations Millennium
Development Goals (UN-MDG)
I was aware of the United Nations Millennium
28
4
Goals before I applied to the Academy.
3
The Academy is designed to advance the role
29
of women in campus, community, country and
105
73
15
0
0
193
1.47
92%
71
82
32
6
2
193
1.78
79%
93
76
21
2
1
193
1.58
88%
80
87
24
2
0
193
1.64
87%
93
76
21
3
0
193
1.58
88%
global leadership.
The Academy has been successful in
30
advancing the role of women in campus,
community, country and global leadership.
The Academy meets an urgent need to
31
empower young women to be equal members
in our society.
The Academy focus on gender equality is a
32
key component of sustainable development
globally.
The Academy utilizes problem solving and
33
creative thinking to generate new strategies
and approaches.
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International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
The Academy projects focus on basic human
34
80
81
27
5
0
193
1.68
83%
96
84
13
0
0
193
1.5
93%
87
80
25
1
0
193
1.6
87%
91
84
18
0
0
193
1.55
91%
60
96
35
1
1
193
1.79
81%
67
97
25
4
0
193
1.73
85%
39
3
0
193
1.87
78%
needs.
The Academy modules helped me to meet the
35
Academy goal.
When I finished the leadership modules I had
36
inner strength and confidence to pursue
making change in my community.
I understand the power of developing
37
leadership capacities.
I am able to identify my personal leadership
38
style.
39
I have a personal mission statement.
I have identified my emotional intelligence
40
10
48
key strengths.
3
I have used my emotional intelligence in my
41
60
98
31
3
1
193
1.79
82%
57
92
41
2
1
193
1.86
77%
60
92
34
7
0
193
1.83
79%
80
91
18
4
0
193
1.63
89%
93
74
21
2
3
193
1.62
87%
leadership activities.
I have the knowledge needed to establish an
42
effective active research plan.
I have the skills to complete an action research
43
plan.
I understand the importance of leaving a
44
legacy.
I believe the Academy is critical in my being a
45
successful woman.
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International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
I believe the Academy has taught me to
46
imagine a world where live their lives fully
97
84
11
1
0
193
1.5
94%
129
60
3
1
0
193
1.31
98%
5
4
3
2
1
total
mean
per
36
1
0
0
0
37
1.03
100%
18
15
1
0
0
34
1.5
97%
25
10
2
0
0
37
1.38
95%
14
14
2
0
0
30
1.6
93%
19
15
1
2
0
37
1.62
92%
21
12
2
1
0
36
1.53
92%
15
3
0
0
2
20
1.55
90%
21
12
2
2
0
37
1.59
89%
expressed to transform future generations.
As a member or alumni, I pledge to support
47
the World Academy for the Future of Women
in the future to the best of my ability.
Appendix 2: Likert scale questions for the facilitators
I believe in the importance of the power of developing
leadership capacities that will allow women to fully
engage in our global future
The modules cover the leadership topics that will allow
participants to become empowered women
I understand the importance of leaving a legacy
I believe being a facilitator for the Academy has taught
me to imagine a world where women leaders are
critical to transforming future generations
I believe the Academy is critical to assuring women are
equal partners in solving our global problems.
I have identified my personal leadership style
When I finished teaching the leadership module I was
assigned I felt successful
I have a personal mission statement
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International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
A consistent evaluation component across all modules
18
10
2
1
1
32
1.66
88%
18
7
3
1
1
30
1.67
83%
16
13
6
1
0
36
1.78
81%
10
16
6
1
0
33
1.94
79%
19
8
5
3
0
35
1.77
77%
7
7
3
1
1
19
2.05
74%
8
15
6
3
0
32
2.13
72%
8
5
4
1
1
19
2.05
68%
4
9
3
2
1
19
2.32
68%
4
17
5
3
3
32
2.5
66%
14
8
7
4
1
34
2.12
65%
8
15
11
1
1
36
2.22
64%
is needed
The leadership modules focus on gender equality is a
key component of sustainable development globally
I pledge to support the World Academy for the Future
of Women in the future to the best of my ability
The leadership modules utilize creative thinking to
generate new strategies and approaches.
I have identified my emotional intelligence key
strengths.
I believe the accommodations for my time as a
facilitator were comfortable.
The leadership modules utilize problem solving to
generate new strategies and approaches.
The accommodations for my time as a facilitator made
me feel safe.
The meals provided while I served as a facilitator met
my needs
Three days training is more than enough time to
complete the facilitator’s training
A consistent format is needed across all modules
I believe the facilitators are the most important aspect
of the World Academy for the future of women
program
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International Journal of Business and Innovation. Vol. 2, Issue 5, 2015
I would volunteer to facilitate a module if I could have
5
15
10
1
2
33
2.39
61%
9
3
10
1
1
24
2.25
50%
5
8
6
9
1
29
2.76
45%
3
9
7
9
0
28
2.79
43%
1
4
12
4
3
24
3.17
21%
2
2
10
4
2
20
3.1
20%
a person team teach with me
I would volunteer for another facilitator assignment
The preparation prior to teaching for the WAFW in
another country was sufficient for me to feel ready to
teach the module
I was comfortable with the materials I was given to
prepare for teaching the modules in another country
I would like to expand my role as a facilitator and offer
an internship to a year 3 Academy member
I measured the impact of the module on the participants
learning through a specific evaluation
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