Four of the top five universities in the world, Oxford, Harvard, Cambridge and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) They will be routed before next July, for the first time, by women.

This is indicated by the 2023 ranking best time university in the context of International Women’s Day on the 8th.

According to this information, almost a quarter, 48 of the world’s top 200 universities, have a female president or vice presidentwhich is an increase compared to the 43 registered last year.

This increase was driven by appointments made in the United States and Germany, interim there are 12% more women in these senior positions than in 2022 and 41% more than five years ago.

Oxford England, ranked first, is currently led by Irene Tracey; Claudine Gay, at Harvard (second) and Deborah Prentice, at Cambridge (third) will take over this July while Sally Kornbluth currently chairs MIT.

According to ThisThe United States has a high proportion of universities in the top 200 in the world that are led by womenwith 16 of 58. Also France -with 3 of 5-, Netherlands -5 of 10) and England -8 of 28-.

Last year, America’s top 13 universities were run by women. Eighth best in the world, University of Berkeley (California), directed by Carol Christwhich has held the position since July 2017, while the prestigious University of Pennsylvania, Cornell and Bronw, are chaired by Elizabeth Magill, Martha Pollack and Christina Paxson, respectively.

In Germany, five higher education institutions place women as leaders, 3 more than last year. Among them, those in Tübingen, with Karla Pollmann, those in Freiburg, with Kerstin Krieglstein, and the Technical University of Berlin, with Geraldine Rauch.

In Asia, neurologist Nancy Ip has been appointed president of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.becoming the first female leader in the region from a university to rank in the world’s top 200 in the last five years.

Hana Abdullah Al-Nuaim is the interim head of the largest university in Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz University.

Rosa Ellis, ranking director for Times Higher Education, called it “remarkable to see that four of the top five universities in the world will soon be led by women.”

But he added that “it’s a shame there’s a ‘but’, only 24% of the top 200 universities are led by women.”

“Even though progress is being made, universities, which are the banners of learning, knowledge and human progress in the world, much remains to be done to advance the role of women not only in the best tertiary institutions but in all positions,” he said.