Becoming a professor requires saying ‘No’: merging equality and quality agendas in a Norwegian gender balance project

Gender Inequalities in Tech-driven Research and Innovation

“…In addition to getting funding for the three original gender equality actions, UiA received funding from the NRC for carrying out research on local gender relations and inequality at the university. One pillar of the research focussed on exploring female associate professors' everyday lives and research careers, seeking to theorize the social organization of academic working lives, without paying direct attention to the action measures (Magnussen et al, 2018;Lund, 2020b). Another pillar focussed on the effects of the gender equality action measures.…”

“…Substantial amounts of research demonstrate that gender equality actions are often reduced to body counts and incorporated in managerial quality or excellence strategies with economic purposes (Eisenstein, 2009;Lund, 2020b). Gender quality strategies in academic institutions also tend to be based on the assumption that women are a uniform group, thus downplaying differences between women while simultaneously reproducing inequalities along lines of sexuality, class and ethnicity/ race (for example Tzanakou and Pearce, 2019).…”

“…While women doing academic work "more like [some] men" probably contribute to numerical gender equality, merely increasing the presence of female bodies in professorship positions does not automatically translate into a more equality-and diversity-favouring culture (Ahmed, 2017;Lund, 2020b). Instead, this as a one-sided approach will probably strengthen already dominant academic ideals that favour particular ways of being an academic, historically associated with certain men (Bailyn, 2003;van den Brink and Benschop, 2012).…”

“…This programme was enveloped in a rhetoric suggesting that female associate professors should be more strategic and self-assertive -'lean in'. 1 The programme taught her that her tendency to 'say yes' was an obstacle to her becoming a professor, and that she had to develop an ability to 'say no' (see Lund, 2020b). Many other female associate professors at UiA talked of similar experiences.…”

Comparative Perspectives on Gender Equality in Japan and Norway

“…Gender discrimination, sexual harassment and sexism have been seen to impact women's careers, and the term 'chilly climate' has been used to describe the alienation and isolation reported by women (Bevan & Learmonth, 2012;Britton, 2017;Savigny, 2014) -not only on the basis of their gender, but also their class, race and ethnicity (Essed, 2004;Gutierrez et al, 2012;Ostrove et al, 2011;Stewart & Dottolo, 2005). Also, the notion of 'excellence' and what it means to be a 'good academic' have been found to be masculine constructs (Lund, 2020a(Lund, , 2020b.…”