Views from below the glass ceiling: Women’s intentions to become full professors

Abstract

Section III | Academic staff development and the knowledge question epistemological transformation, "a re-orientation away from the apartheid knowledge system, in which curriculum was used as a tool of exclusion, to a democratic curriculum that is inclusive of all human thought" (Soudien, 2008:89). While it is a commonly held perception that academics generally determine or inform curriculum decisions, Subbaye's (2018) analysis of academic promotion policies at South African universities reveals that full professors, in particular, have often been charged with curriculum design. Therefore, it can be argued that increasing the number of women in the professoriate is one way of achieving both representational and epistemological transformation while working towards curriculum reform. Thus, this chapter considers transformation in a broad sense, going beyond race and gender to encapsulate epistemological transformation through academic staff development. We explore women's experiences on the road to full professorship, their intentions to become full professors and the challenges that limit or prevent them from achieving this rank. Gendered constructions of barriers to academic career advancementNumerous studies have investigated why women are less frequently promoted to highlevel positions within universities and the professoriate (Baker, 2010;Ortega-Liston & Soto, 2014). Research findings show several influences that may prevent them from applying for these positions or being promoted within universities: