Why So Few Female Senior Academics?

Tharenou, Phyllis

doi:10.1177/031289629401900206

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Most full professors are, and have always been men. There seems to be a self‐evident link between professors and men (Tharenou, ), and both male and female gatekeepers linked masculinity to the professoriate in similar ways. When they talk about scouting eligible candidates, the abstract candidates they refer to are always men.…”

Section: Gender In Networkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment

Brink

Benschop

2013

J Management Studies

238

196

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The aim of this study is to build a theoretical framework to understand how gendered networking practices produce or counter inequalities in organizations. We introduce a practice approach combined with a feminist perspective in organization network studies. The notions of gender and networking as social practices allow better insights into what people say and do in networks, and the ways that networking produces or counters gender inequalities. We draw on empirical material about professorial appointments in Dutch academia and analyse the accounts of gatekeepers illuminating their networking practices. The accounts show which networking practices gatekeepers routinely use in recruitment and how these networking practices are intertwined with gender practices. We use the notion of mobilizing masculinities to understand the self-evident identification of men gatekeepers with men in their networks, and to understand how both men and women gatekeepers prefer the male candidates that resemble the proven masculine success model. Furthermore, this study provides the first empirical insights in mobilizing femininities in which women search for and support women candidates. We show how the gender practice of mobilizing femininities is a more precarious and marked practice than mobilizing masculinities. Mobilizing femininities in networking is intended to counter gender inequalities, but is only partially successful. Through constructions of 'who you can trust' or 'who is a risk', gatekeepers exercise the power of inclusion and exclusion and contribute to the persistence of structural gender inequalities.

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Section: Gender In Networkingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment

Brink

Benschop

2013

J Management Studies

238

196

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Research indicates that the 'think manager-think male' attitude is an entrenched view, especially among males (Schein, 1973(Schein, , 2001. This phenomenon translates equally well into the university sector as "think professor -think male" (Tharenou, 1994) and "think vice chancellor -think male" (Tilbrook, 1998). Such attitudes not only limit women's access to leadership roles but also create biased evaluations for women when they occupy such roles (Bailyn, 2003;Eagly & Carli, 2007;Heilman, 2001;Mabokela, 2003).…”

Section: Psychological Barrier: Think Manager-think Male Attitudesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Barriers to and facilitators of female Deans’ career advancement in higher education: an exploratory study in Vietnam

Nguyen

2012

High Educ

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Although the slow progress of female academics compared to their male colleagues and the challenges that female academic leaders have to face in taking leadership roles have been welldocumented, very little is known about female academic leaders and managers' career advancement in developing countries like Vietnam. This paper reports on an exploratory study of a research project funded by the Cambridge -Viet Nam Women Leadership Programme, which aims to advance an understanding of the status of, and identify strategies to empower, female academic managers in Vietnamese higher education. The focus of this paper is on university leaders and female Deans' perceptions of the barriers to female academic Deanship and female Deans' reflections on the facilitators for their career advancement. The study found that the main barriers are strong family obligations, negative gender stereotypes regarding females as leaders, and female academics' unwillingness to take management positions. The major facilitators of female Deans' career advancement are self-effort, strong family support, and, what is perceived to be, a favourable or 'lucky' selection context. The paper provides empirical evidence to support the view that family support is a crucial factor for female academic career advancement in Vietnam.Women are both an agent and an object of change in empowering female academic leadership.

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“…The under-representation of female senior academics means that women are not role models for senior academic and executive positions and so inequity is perpetuated. More recent data collected in Everett's (1994) paper on "sex, rank and qualifications at Australian universities", indicates that the phenomenon "think manager -think male" (Schein, 1994;Schein et al, 1989) translates equally well into the university sector as "think professor -think male" (Tharenou, 1994) and I would add "think vice chancellor -think male". In comparison to the Australian public and private sectors (Still et al, 1994), however, the performance of Australian universities with reference to the numbers of women vice chancellors/university presidents in 1997 is only marginally in advance (12.5 per cent in comparison to 11 per cent) of many other large private, commercial organisations (Affirmative Action Agency, 1997;AVCC, 1997).…”

Section: Universities and The Management Of Diversity 1983-1997mentioning

confidence: 99%

An exploration of the current under‐representation of senior women managers in Australian universities

Tilbrook

1998

Women in Management Review

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More than a decade after Australian universities first responded to the requirements of the EEO/AA legislative framework, women remain marginalised and seriously under-represented in Australian universities. This paper provides a snapshot of the current status of women's participation in the senior levels of universities and examines some of the reasons why universities are still providing a "chilly climate" for women and other minority actors. It is argued that Australian universities can no longer afford to frustrate, alienate and marginalise some of their most creative organisational actors when they are facing a new era of rapid change and competition.

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Why So Few Female Senior Academics?

Cited by 5 publications

References 26 publications

Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment

Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment

Barriers to and facilitators of female Deans’ career advancement in higher education: an exploratory study in Vietnam

An exploration of the current under‐representation of senior women managers in Australian universities

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