The increase number of females in leadership positions provides new opportunities to observe them as leaders. The purpose of this research was to study leadership and to identify the contextual, societal and cultural factors that determined and influenced the styles of leadership of female executives in higher education. The study profiled the leadership styles of 183 female administrators at senior level positions, such as: president, chancellor, vice president, and dean, at accredited institutions of higher education in the United States, Hawaii and Puerto Rico. The research assessed the leadership styles with the purpose of identifying the factors that positively influenced the achievement and success of the female administrators. This study examined the background and leadership experiences of these women with the purpose of providing advice to other females wishing to pursue and become higher education administrators. A descriptive and qualitative approach was the research method for the study. This approach was used because it allowed the researcher to study, explore and understand the experiences of successful female administrators in higher education. The descriptive approach allowed the researcher to analyze attitudes, demographics, opinions and personal experiences of the participants and its relevance to the study. A self-report survey was the selected instrument to obtain the research data. Demographic data included age, age at first administrative position, marital status, institution, rank, years in current position, number of years teaching prior to administration, number of administrative positions before achieving a higher administrative position, and highest academic degree obtained. The instrument was developed by the researcher with an inquiry content derived straight from the literature review. The self-report survey consisted of a five questions exploring the participants' opinions and beliefs with regard to barriers, leadership styles, personal characteristics and factors affecting women in higher education administration as well as demographic and institutional information. Findings from the study revealed the factors that determined the success of female administrators in the higher education environment. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]