Understanding gender inequality and the role of the work/family interface in contemporary academia: An introduction

Abstract

This double special issue gathers a series of nuanced critically conceptual and case-study research showing that in the contemporary European context, despite regional differences in gender regimes, political and economic demands and organizational cultures, work/life balance policies and their translation into practice remains a highly ambiguous issue. Although work/life balance policies have undoubtedly entered the university institutional spaces, they are deterred by opposing institutional policy logics and particularly ‘greedy’ logics of the organizing of work that still aligns to outdated work-exclusive masculine organizational culture (outdated because men too are suffering the effects, and because the academic environment is feminized). Moreover, there are lingering gender stereotypes around the value and attribution of home and work duties, which are having a significant impact upon women’s professional and private spheres and experiences in academic work. The gathered research shows how university institutions are still quite far from having addressed the core issues that undermine women’s career advancement and their possibilities to access to academic membership and leadership, still obliging them (and their male counterparts) to align with a work and membership (selection and progression) logic and organization that does not take into consideration parenthood, family and personal spheres of life.

Organizing in the Shadow of Academic Entrepreneurship, Excellence and Omnipresence

“…Discourse amongst academics/researchers values English-speaking journals rather than French-speaking ones, with a preference for single authored papers and peer-reviewed journals. In short, an academic's list of publications is an important indicator of one's scientific excellence [21] and reinforces the significant political stakes for one's professional future that are at the mercy of peers. Merit indicators and peer review evaluation procedures are two important formal features of academic Excellence.…”

“…This total engagement in work is considered voluntary and passionate in nature, and modelled on a dissociation of work/family, which is characteristic of a labor society [39]. In the light of an ever-increasing de-institutionalization of the academic profession [40] -driven by mobility, short-term research contracts, few academic positions in relation to the number of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers hired, tougher competition amongst colleagues due to fewer promotions, and relatively short statutory career ladders -the demand for total engagement, or in other words for Omnipresence [21], makes greedy institutions particularly voracious. However, male and female academics consider their work as flexible since they can work from home [1].…”

“…This norm does not leave sufficient time for research development or for publication -the overarching criteria for career advancement. Qualifying for a promotion therefore means dedicating oneself to multiple tasks [21,39], with a discourse of "total engagement" carried out by heads of departments. Most interviewees expressed what is "considered as an omnipresent and greedy calling" [37,38], and some of them pointed to the fact that heads of departments, scientific board members and rectorate are seen as "the most assiduous attendants because they are often relieved of scientific and educational duties".…”

Gender Issues in the Ivory Tower of Brazilian IR

“…Although the proportion of female teachers at HEIs has increased (Moschkovich and Almeida 2015;Balbachevsky and Holzhacker 2015), the latest Higher Education Census (INEP 2017) shows that most Brazilian academics are males. 4 Dubois- Shaik and Fusulier (2017) show that women in contemporary European academia are disadvantaged by vertical segregation because universities have still not addressed issues that undermine female advancement, such as personal circumstances, parenthood and family. Thus it is no coincidence that European female academics tend to have fewer children than their male counterparts (Dubois-Shaik and Fusulier 2017).…”

Дискурс Баланса Жизни И Труда В Академии

“…Так как с реформированием высшего образования образ жизни преподава телей как единое восприятие личного и рабочего времени сменился бинарным разделением сфер приватного и академического, то в данной работе структура идеалам, закрепление неолиберальной логики, устанавливающей принципы эко номического рационализма, конкуренции, предпринимательства, индивидуализма и независимости [McDowell, 2004]. Формирование новой модели университета повлекло за собой вскрытие дискурса прекарности академической системы, под разумевающей неопределенность будущего [Baader et al, 2017;DuboisShaik, Fusulier, 2017]. Важно отметить, что оценка удовлетворенности карьерой не мо жет приравниваться к удовлетворенности балансом.…”