Abstract
Gender equality remains a challenge in educational governance, where leadership opportunities and executive decision-making roles reflect disparities despite modern legal reforms. In the Philippines, Republic Act No. 6725 prohibits employment discrimination against women. Anchored on Eagly’s Social Role Theory, this study evaluated the implementation of RA 6725 at the University of Perpetual Help System–Biñan Campus. It builds on frameworks by Smith (2020) on leadership stereotypes, Garcia and Morales (2019) on inclusive organizational cultures, and Choi and Kim (2021) on social responsibility. This study used a descriptive quantitative design to systematically analyze stakeholder perceptions. Data were gathered from 100 respondents (administrators, faculty, staff, and institutional stakeholders) via purposive and stratified sampling. A structured Likert-scale questionnaire α= 0.75 served as the primary tool. Weighted mean and paired t-test analyses determined significant statistical differences between “as planned” and “as implemented” conditions regarding institutional governance practices. Significant gaps emerged between planning and implementation, proving institutional commitment was stronger in policy formulation than actual practice. Under equal employment, hiring practices dropped from a planned mean of 4.32 to an implemented mean of 4.00, with gender equality training programs showing one of the largest gaps. The total employment dimension declined from 4.13 to 3.81. Women's leadership representation showed a large implementation gap in administrative roles due to persistent structural and cultural barriers. Conversely, gender-sensitive governance communication and reporting systems showed no significant variation, though policy enforcement and accountability gaps remained. Prominent challenges included institutional barriers, resistance to change, limited resources, and weak monitoring systems. Meaningful equality requires shifting from compliance to active cultural transformation. To close these gaps, the study proposes the Gender-Responsive Educational Governance Framework (GREGF). This strategic model integrates structural policy reform, inclusivity programs, leadership development initiatives, monitoring committees, and active stakeholder participation to sustain equitable higher education governance.
