Challenges to the Choice Discourse: Women’s Views of Their Family and Academic-Science Career Options and Constraints

Canetto, Silvia Sara; Trott, Carlie D.; Winterrowd, Erin; Haruyama, D.; Johnson, Ashley

doi:10.1080/08952833.2016.1273174

Cited by 15 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Many factors influence the career decisions of recent doctorates, including their personal values or goals [ 25 ], familial obligations [ 24 ], and workplace structure [ 25 ]. In particular, women in science begin to consider how familial obligations will influence their career plans early on in graduate school [ 26 ]. Additionally, doctorates often take postdoc positions “without a clearly defined career goal” [ 25 ] and open to careers in different sectors.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

U.S. postdoctoral careers in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering: Government, industry, and academia

2022

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Discussions about science and engineering postdoctoral researchers focus almost exclusively on academic postdocs and their chances of eventually securing tenure-track faculty positions. Further, biological sciences dominate policy research and published advice for new PhDs regarding postdoctoral employment. Our analysis uses the Survey of Earned Doctorates and Survey of Doctorate Recipients to understand employment implications for physical sciences and engineering (PSE) and life sciences (LS) graduates who took postdoctoral positions in government, industry, and academic sectors. We examine postdoc duration, reasons for staying in a postdoc, movement between sectors, and salary implications. There is considerable movement between employment sectors within the first six years post-PhD. Additionally, postdocs in PSE are shorter, better paid, and more often in nonacademic sectors than postdocs in LS. These results can help science and engineering faculty discuss a broader range of career pathways with doctoral students and help new PhDs make better informed early career decisions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

U.S. postdoctoral careers in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering: Government, industry, and academia

2022

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“…Despite fully recognising their unequal treatment and status, these women had internalised two core values of the engineering culture, meritocracy and individualism, so strongly that they were unable to mount anything but self-criticism against 'the gendered consequences of engineering professional hegemony' (Seron et al, 2018: 158). The detrimental effects of this internalisation of individualising discourses of merit, excellence, and choice have also been explored elsewhere (Beddoes and Pawley, 2014;Canetto et al, 2017;Sørensen, 2017 (Scholz et al, 2009, 9). Career structures function as hierarchies of professional attainment, involving greater financial rewards, greater degrees of power (over juniors in the profession, within institutions and in the discipline) and reward as one progresses.…”

Section: Durable Inequalitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Persistence of Gender Struggles in Nordic Research and Innovation

Griffin

Vehviläinen

2021

Feminist Encounters: A Journal of Critical Studies in Culture a

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The persistence of gender inequalities throughout the western world into the 21 st century is well documented in numerous studies and statistics (OECD; SHE Figures) despite the fact that all western countries have national, regional, and local equality legislation, plans, and guidelines that legally enshrine and promote gender equality. This is the case in research and innovation (R&I) as much as in other work contexts. As extensive research from the

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“…Advocating for changes in policies and practices in academia that are more family friendly will be one charge facing the new guard. OD interventions aimed at changing the culture of the Academy (Burke, 1982) to a family-friendly environment will be one charge facing the new guard. Baer and Van Ummersen (2005) report that "several leading institutions have already begun to address some of these work-life issues without sacrificing quality" (p. 16).…”

Section: Institutional Supportmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although 52% of doctorates were awarded to women in 2014 to 2015 (McFarland et al, 2017), women are less likely than men to pursue tenure-track positions at research universities (Baer & Van Ummersen, 2005). Even after graduation, women may perceive the barriers too high to continue as the notion of the ideal worker leads them to self-select out of the Academy, especially in science-related fields, and pursue non-academic paths (Canetto et al, 2017).…”

Section: The Problem Of Work–life Conflict Of Academic Parentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a Family-Friendly Academy: HRD’s Role in Creating Healthy Work–Life Cultural Change Interventions

Eversole

Crowder

2020

Advances in Developing Human Resources

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The Problem The ideal worker in the Academy devotes most of their lives to scholarly pursuits, which leaves little time for family. This problem leads to work–life conflict, which is particularly concerning for faculty members who are seeking promotion and tenure. Work–life conflict is most challenging in the case of academic mothers, who face professional career challenges in addition to work–life conflict. Rigid organizational policies and non-supportive cultures perpetuate the problem, particularly when the faculty member is an academic mother seeking promotion and tenure. The Solution Human resource development (HRD) interventions implemented at the individual, departmental, and institutional levels (e.g., training development, performance management, and career development initiatives) have been shown to reduce work–life conflict, improve overall well-being, and create a more family friendly environment. Organization development (OD) cultural change interventions aimed at changing the Academy to become more family focused and supportive of career flexibility are recommended. The Stakeholders Academic faculty, higher education administrators, HRD scholars, and practitioners.

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Challenges to the Choice Discourse: Women’s Views of Their Family and Academic-Science Career Options and Constraints

Cited by 15 publications

References 33 publications

U.S. postdoctoral careers in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering: Government, industry, and academia

U.S. postdoctoral careers in life sciences, physical sciences and engineering: Government, industry, and academia

The Persistence of Gender Struggles in Nordic Research and Innovation

Toward a Family-Friendly Academy: HRD’s Role in Creating Healthy Work–Life Cultural Change Interventions

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