Appointing Senior Managers in Education

Grummell, Bernie; Devine, Dympna; Lynch, Kathleen

doi:10.1177/1741143209102783

Cited by 54 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(23 reference statements)

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“…Equally, being selected or singled out and explicitly encouraged to apply for promotion or senior positions was an important signifier for those women who lacked confidence and quite often the 'know-how.' This finding resonates with previous research both in the national context and internationally that women's lower confidence levels are influenced by a lack of collegial recognition and esteem [43,63]. Finally, there are indications that gender equality is now on the active agenda in a number of universities; however, while the policy imperative to promote gender equality presented opportunities for women, it was felt that the same policy allowed women to be used by the dominant group as tokens to legitimize the existing system, commodifying what Fitzgerald refers to as 'the cachet of women's diversity' [1] (p. 37).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…As a result, supportive climates and direct encouragement have been identified in the international body of research as being important in shaping women's decision-making around pursuing career opportunities. Networks, both formal and informal, and mentoring have also been identified as central to fostering women's career progression and ambition [8,43,56,57]. Being encouraged or head-hunted to apply for particular roles was identified by the women in this study, who often lacked the confidence to put themselves forward, as an important signifier.…”

Section: Professor Gwen Matthews Similarly Reflectedmentioning

confidence: 92%

“…This view also reflects an international one that the culture of universities can be such that it privileges the hiring and promotion of men over women, with gatekeeping operating as a key mechanism for reinforcing existing norms and ultimately homosociability [42,43]. Professor Maeve O' Flaherty focused on the latter issue, observing:…”

Section: Professor Gwen Matthews Similarly Reflectedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Perspectives of Women Professors on the Professoriate: A Missing Piece in the Narrative on Gender Equality in the University

Harford

2018

Education Sciences

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Abstract:The under-representation of women in the professoriate is a widely acknowledged and complex phenomenon internationally. Ireland is no exception to this and indeed the issue of gender equality in Irish higher education has in the last 24 months emerged on the national policy agenda, largely as a result of a number of high profile legal cases and the subsequent setting up of an expert review panel (2015) and a gender equality taskforce (2017). What has now become clear internationally is that despite the advances women have made in terms of their participation rates as undergraduates, as well as the introduction of gender equity policies, the vast majority of professors in higher education institutions globally are men. Specifically, regarding Ireland in the period 2013-2015, even though 50% of the lecturer staff in universities were women, only 19% of professors were women. While the availability of such data is instructive, attention also needs to focus on examining the organizational culture and practices that appear to perpetuate such gender divisions and gendered patterns of action. On this, however, there is an almost complete absence of studies on the perspectives of women professors in Ireland on the professoriate. The study reported here, which was undertaken within the life story tradition, is one response to this deficit. It is based on interviews conducted with 21 women professors on their perspectives on working as professors in the university sphere in the period 2000-2017. Four key themes were generated during the analysis of their testimony: they regarded universities as operating according to male-definitions of merit; they made a strategic choice not to engage in senior management roles (Senior management is defined as occupying the role of Dean level or above.); they considered there was no room for caring responsibilities in universities; and they emphasized the importance of validation, selection, and networks of support.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Professor Gwen Matthews Similarly Reflectedmentioning

confidence: 92%

Section: Professor Gwen Matthews Similarly Reflectedmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Perspectives of Women Professors on the Professoriate: A Missing Piece in the Narrative on Gender Equality in the University

Harford

2018

Education Sciences

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“…Up to January 2016, the gender profile of this internal board was 11 men and two women (Internal Report on Promotions, 2014: 9). Given the well-recognized importance of homosociability (Grummell et al, 2009), this raises legacy issues involving the extremely low "chances" of women being promoted from 2016 to 2018.…”

Section: Policy and Procedures For Promotion At The Equivalent Of Associate Professormentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress, but at the Expense of Male Power? Institutional Resistance to Gender Equality in an Irish University

Hodgins

O’Connor

2021

Front. Sociol.

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Gender equality is a whole-organization endeavor. Building on Agócs (Journal of Business Ethics, 1997, 16 (9), 917–931) concept of institutionalized resistance this article undertakes a feminist critique of policy and practice around internal promotions to the equivalent of Associate Professor level in one Irish university (called the Case Study University). This university was selected because of its low proportion of women in senior academic positions. The methodology is a single case study design, employing documentary analysis, including secondary data. Since 2013 the proportion of women at Associate Professor in the Case Study University increased significantly (bringing them close to the national average): this being associated with increased transparency, with the cascade model in the background. However, men’s “chances” have varied little over time and at 1:4 are the highest in Irish universities. This article uses Agócs (Journal of Business Ethics, 1997, 16 (9), 917–931) stages of institutional resistance to show that while some changes have been made, ongoing institutionalized resistance is reflected in its failure to accept responsibility for change as reflected in its refusal to challenge the “core mission” and restricting the focus to “fixing the women”; and its failure to implement change by focusing on “busy-ness” which does not challenge power and colluding with foot-dragging and slippage in key areas. It is suggested that such institutional resistance reflects the enactment of hidden or stealth power. The article implicitly raises questions about the intractability and the covertness of men’s power and privilege and the conditions under which women’s “chances” are allowed to improve, thus providing insights into the extent and nature of institutional resistance.

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“…HEIs are not simply bureaucracies staffed by automatons (Weber, 1947), but gendered structures (Acker, 1990; where positions are hierarchically ordered so as to constitute a career. Career related support facilitates access to or progression in that hierarchy through relationships involving homosociality, coalitions and networking (Morley, 2008) involving a patriarchal support system (Bagilhole and Goode, 2001), with men being most likely to associate and bond with those whom they see as similar to themselves (Grummell et al 2009). A gendered social order in which men predominate (Ely and Meyerson, 2000) is maintained.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Mentoring and sponsorship in higher education institutions: men’s invisible advantage in STEM?

O’Connor

O’Hagan

Myers

et al. 2019

Higher Education Research & Development

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This article is concerned with the source of men's invisible advantage in the male dominated disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). It is suggested that this advantage has been obscured by combining sponsorship and mentoring. The research asks: Are men or women most likely to be mentored? Is it possible to distinguish between mentoring and sponsorship? Is there gender variation in either or both of these depending on the sourcewhether from the academic supervisor, line manager or other senior academics. This qualitative study draws on interview data from 106 respondents (57 men and 48 women) at junior, middle and senior levels, in four universities: one each in Bulgaria, Denmark, Ireland and Turkey. It shows that both men and women received mentoring from their PhD supervisor, albeit with slightly different reported nuances. Men were more likely than women to receive sponsorship in that relationship. Both men and women received sponsorship from the Head of Department, whose wider responsibilities may have reduced homophily. Men were more likely than women to receive sponsorship and mentoring from senior men, with most women indicating a lack of access to such senior academics. By distinguishing between mentoring and sponsorship, this article contributes to our understanding of the way male dominance in STEM is perpetuated and suggests the source of men's invisible advantage in STEM.

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Appointing Senior Managers in Education

Cited by 54 publications

References 23 publications

The Perspectives of Women Professors on the Professoriate: A Missing Piece in the Narrative on Gender Equality in the University

The Perspectives of Women Professors on the Professoriate: A Missing Piece in the Narrative on Gender Equality in the University

Progress, but at the Expense of Male Power? Institutional Resistance to Gender Equality in an Irish University

Mentoring and sponsorship in higher education institutions: men’s invisible advantage in STEM?

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