And yet, they remain: a phenomenological study of career, female, primary-role advisors at four-year institutions in the Midwestern region of the United States

Abstract

Numerous women spend their entire careers in academic advising though it is not clear whether women stay in these roles because they experience high levels of personal wellbeing and meaningfulness or because they experience limitations in their career management. Though the field of academic advising is heavily populated by women negligible literature has been published about the experience of the female primary-role advisor. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to examine the perceptions of the female primary-role advisors in relation to their individual career management and the professionalization of the advising occupation. The research questions are informed by the social cognitive theory of Career self-management, or CSM, recent advising literature examining the professionalization of the primary advising role. This study will allow the voices of female primary-role advisors to enter advising scholarship. This study may also provide opportunities for universities and the Global Advising Community (NACADA) to establish additional pathways for growth and advocacy of primary role advising practitioners.