Thamae, Mamothibe AmeliaMdikana, Andile Alfred2026-01-292026-01-292025-5-16Thamae, M.A. 2025. Balancing acts: navigating research challenges as a female academic in higher education. In: Mamothibe, A. T. Social implications of research in higher education. Hershey, Pa. : IGI Global Scientific, 1-28. doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-0654-4.ch0019798337306544https://hdl.handle.net/10321/6343The author generated no research outputs in the past two decades, resulting in limited career trajectories in academia that require research publications in accredited, reputable journals and books. To go up the ranks in Higher Education Institutions, the author is expected to actively contribute to knowledge production as evidenced by scholarly articles, graduate doctoral students in record time, secure research grants and visiting scholars. As a result of the lack of research outputs, the author appears stuck since the author cannot apply for any promotion that requires recent publications. This study contributes to current debates on research outputs, university rankings, sustainability of Higher Education Institutions, staff promotion policies, and neoliberal principles' impact on Higher Education. This conceptual study employs an interpretivist paradigm that uses data from the diaries and notes on the author's experiences across Institutions. In this light, this chapter explores the challenges that females encounter in HEIs and contribute to few or no research outputs.29 penCopyright: 2025. IGI Global. Due to copyright restrictions, only the abstract is available. For access to the full text item, please consult the publisher's website. The definitive version of the work is published in: Mamothibe, A. T. Social implications of research in higher education. Hershey, Pa. : IGI Global Scientific, 1-28. doi:10.4018/979-8-3373-0654-4.ch001Female academicsHigher Education InstitutionsResearch Output challengesBook chapter10.4018/979-8-3373-0654-4.ch001