The Challenges for Gender Equity and Women in Leadership in a Distributed University in Regional Australia

Abstract

The barriers to women’s achievement and career progression in the higher education sector have been well researched. It has long been acknowledged that career breaks for child-rearing, and women’s self-beliefs about their abilities can impact negatively on their careers, and many programs and policies have been implemented to redress these around the world. This article is focussed around a regional Australian university, with multiple campuses distributed over 1000 km across two states. Courses, schools, and work teams are often spread across multiple campuses, and travel between campuses is sometimes a necessity; one that is time-consuming and requires time away from family. For some women, travelling is not possible due to family and other commitments or constraints. This paper explores how working in a regional university, with distributed campuses, has an additional impact on women’s career progression. Through auto-ethnographic accounts of four female staff members, we explore the intersection of gender and location through case studies of personal experiences, investigating the effects that distance and travel limitations can have on participation in work team and networking events, access to professional development opportunities, and career progression within the institution.

Womens’ Career Progression in an Australian Regional University

“…But it came at the cost of career progression in the university where she perceived that “broad experience” was required to change roles or move into more senior ones. This concurs with Wallace (2005) and Thomas et al (2019) research at other Australian regional universities which concluded that regionality and the need to travel were additional complexities that could impact on other opportunities.…”

“…Thus, being a woman and a foreigner in another country can be a positive combination rather than ‘an accumulation of disadvantages’ ( Zippel, 2017 , p. 26). But for some women in regional universities even relocating to another area in Australia can be a challenge because of their responsibility for children and/or elder care ( Thomas et al, 2019 ; Manyweathers et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Moreover, the need to travel could become a barrier to progression and career trajectories, as well as networking opportunities ( Manyweathers et al, 2020 ). Although the use of video conferencing and Skype could overcome these barriers ( Thomas et al, 2019 ; Herman and Hilliam, 2018 , p. 186) a United Kingdom study found such technology isolated women on outlying campuses and reduced ‘their opportunities for career enhancing roles and access to informal and formal networks’. That institution therefore invested in new technology to enable remote participants to actively engage in large face to face meetings.…”

Publication records of Australian accounting and finance faculty promoted to full professor, set within an international context

“…She also notes that women may be less mobile than men, which might impact on their ‘marketability’ (real or perceived), restricting the chances of external promotion in the absence of internal promotion. Geographical distance and the need to travel are specifically identified as barriers to women’s progression within a regional Australian university (Thomas et al ., 2019). Lipton (2015) observes that, for a variety of reasons, the rates of publication of females are typically lower than for males, especially in higher‐ranked journals.…”

Seeing and Overcoming the Complexities of Intersectionality

“…Organisational research and education that utilises an intersectional lens with practical actions is needed to challenge the views and values of organisations [23]. Research should question how practices, policy, and politics perpetuate inequity and inequality in order to re-focus on organisational social responsibility and to advance inclusion [23,[29][30][31]. Organisations should not only respond to diversity and inequalities but rather embrace intersectionality to harness diverse talent, human capital and capability, and cultivate a sense of belonging for diverse individuals.…”