Female leadership in research and higher education institutions is a matter that deserves attention from the general public and also government and non-government bodies. Portugal has been indicated as one of the countries with the highest percentage of women in MSc and PhD degrees, and about 46% of researchers in the Portuguese scientific and technological system are women. However, few women are in top leadership positions in universities and research units. This situation is spread to the general academic and scientific system, including publication and research project’s submission and success. Also, some areas and regions tend to be particularly affected by this phenomenon. Herein, we present the scenario of female leadership in research and higher education institutions in Portugal and at the University of Beira Interior (UBI), Covilhã. Also, UBI women’s status in managing research, leading scientific projects, being editors and reviewers in international journals or having duties as corresponding authors will be depicted, compared to the coastline and large urban centres.
