Mind that gap! An investigation of gender imbalance on the governing bodies of UK universities

Abstract

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Boundary spanning as identity work in university business engagement roles

“…Job titles did not work as effective identity badges (Ashforth et al 2008) as they required explanation and justification from participants rather than conveying readily understood meaning (Collinson, 2003). Where "badging" did occur it was often counter to the participants' preferences, being based on outdated aspects of their subject knowledge or on them being female, suggesting a need for further research into attitudes towards gender in these institutions (Ooms et al, 2018;Sherer and Zakaria, 2018).…”

“…Both felt this damaged their identity as knowledge exchange specialists and as business experts. Having worked to build up a professional identity as intermediaries, as managers and as business specialists, identifying them firstly or solely by their gender or sexual preference was perceived as limiting and potentially diminishing of the 'other' identities they had constructed (Ooms et al, 2018;Sherer and Zakaria, 2018). Others, too, were seen solely as subject specialists, even when they had worked successfully across the university for some time (Grant et al, 2014) "it's hard for them (senior staff) to see me as a business person given my biochemistry background" (Participant 3).…”

Understanding social constructions of becoming an academic through women’s collective career narratives

“…What emerges from these studies is evidence of a broad range of cultural and structural challenges that women continue to face in STEM disciplines (Hart, 2016;Herman, 2015; see also Sherer & Zakaria, 2016;Furst-Holloway & Miner, 2019). Cultural challenges include values, images and rules that are conveyed through interactions with colleagues and students, whilst structural challenges refer to the more formal policies and processes that embed established cultural issues into the organisation (see also Benschop & Brouns, 2003).…”

Jämställt på ytan

“…Den europeiska forskning jag funnit om jämställdhet i universitets-och högskolestyrelser handlar om könsfördelningen i styrelserna. En studie från Storbritannien visar en sned könsfördelning med endast 32 % kvinnor (Sherer & Zakaria 2018). I en italiensk studie visas att sammansättningen av ledamöter i universitetsstyrelser i Italien har betydelse för jämställdhetsarbetet så att styrelser som domineras av män oftare saknar genusperspektiv i universitetens strategiska planer (Nardo m.fl.…”