Career progression among female academics

Abstract

Purpose -This paper aims to investigate the career experiences of female academics in a Western and in an Indian cultural setting in order to gain an in-depth understanding of the factors contributing to their career progression. The paper also examines the factors such as national culture, gender stereotypes and leadership, work and family conflict, mentoring and informal networks that impact on the career progression of women academics in two different cultural settings, namely Mauritius and Australia. Design/methodology/approach -Thirty in-depth interviews from two universities were used. Findings -The findings illustrate that the barriers to progression are remarkably similar to women from both universities despite their different cultural background. Women in the Mauritian context face a considerably more conservative cultural climate that may negatively impact on their career progression. Women from both cultural settings face significant barriers to career progression in their academic roles. Originality/value -This paper compares Australian and Mauritian women academics experience in academia. The paper also offers practical guidance that can be used by management and women academics to facilitate career progression of women in academia.

Barriers to Career Progression: A Study of the Perceptions of Nepali Women Employees

“…In this study, Thanacoody et al (2006) have also referred to various barriers identified by previous scholars. A few examples of barriers mentioned are masculine organisational culture (White, 2003), work and family imbalances (Ward & Wolf-Wendel, 2004), and gender power imbalance in the workplace (Oakley, 2000).…”

“…A comparative study on career progression among women from Australia and Mauritius by Thanacoody, Bartram, Barker, and Jacobs (2006) identified a number of barriers to female advancement. In this study, Thanacoody et al (2006) have also referred to various barriers identified by previous scholars.…”

Women Reflect on Being Well in Academia: Challenges and Supports

“…Irrespective of geographic location, cultural context, or social location, women publish less and advance in academia more slowly than men (Thanacoody, Bartram, Barker, & Jacobs, 2006). In their self-study of 11 women's experiences in balancing family and career, Penney et al (2015) noted while they expected gender equity in an academic career, their perceptions were wrong; gender parity did not exist in academia.…”

Women in Engineering, Science and Technology

“…She further notes that "The woman who is not part of the informal network does not receive information vital to understanding organizational life "(p12). According to Thanacoody et al (2006) " White (2003) claims that Australian universities continue to be "boys clubs" and that the skills needed for a successful academic career is part of a socialisation process that some men and virtually no women participate in" (P539). It would appear from our research as well as other studies (Bagilhole and Goode 2001) that this is not a phenomenon peculiar to Australian universities.…”

“…In order to fill this "gap", many universities have introduced a more formalised mentoring scheme (Gardiner et al 2007). Mentoring was seen as having the potential to play a big part in helping staff make the most of their careers at all levels (Gardiner et al 2007;Thanacoody et al 2006, Joiner et al 2004, Heward et al 1997. Thanacoody et al (2006) in their study of Australian and Mauritian contexts suggest that "Senior male mentors act as the gate-keepers in both cultural contexts providing female academics with access to resources and networks that enable them to move up the university hierarchy" (p550).…”