The F Word: The Role of Women’s Friendships in Navigating the Gendered Workplace of Academia

Abstract

This conceptual paper contributes a new perspective on the role of women academics’ friendships in helping them navigate and counter the masculine culture of academia. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory and Relational Cultural Theory, we contend that women’s friendships allow women to thrive by meeting core psychological needs that are threatened in a marginalized work environment. Women’s intra-gender friendships act as counterspaces that challenge deficit notions women often hold about themselves, which are particularly prevalent for early career academics and women of color. We examine these workplace friendships through the belief that the academy is a gendered workplace which results in women often experiencing significant challenges to their career success. Furthermore, we consider how women’s friendships can mitigate the effects of workplace marginalization and enhance well-being that results in career success. We conclude by challenging HRD scholars to consider how academia can make space for and value women’s friendships in the workplace to benefit both individuals and institutions.

Value of peer mentoring for early career professional, research, and personal development: a case study of implementation scientists

“…Further, others have highlighted the importance of friendship and co-mentorship for women and other individuals who are marginalized within the academy to promote resiliency, address self-doubt, and help navigate professional challenges. 29,30 While peer mentoring may be beneficial at fostering resiliency and sharing institutional knowledge, structural changes will be needed to achieve equity. An example of the combined benefit of peer mentoring and systemic changes can be seen in our case study, where the NIH made a structural change by offering administrative supplements for those with K Awards during critical life events, which could help retain early career investigators with caregiving responsibilities.…”

“…Given that the majority of K awardees do not secure subsequent large-scale funding (e.g., NIH R01 [26]), and disparities in federal funding for women and scholars of color persist [27,28], it could be beneficial for scholars who systemically face challenges to career achievement to have peer mentoring explicitly provided. Further, others have highlighted the importance of friendship and co-mentorship for women and other individuals who are marginalized within the academy to promote resiliency, address self-doubt, and help navigate professional challenges [29,30]. While peer mentoring may be beneficial at fostering resiliency and sharing institutional knowledge, structural changes will be needed to achieve equity.…”

Differentiating Between Conceptual and Theory Articles: Focus, Goals, and Approaches

“…The paper concludes with insights and implications. Kaeppel et al (2020) take the position friendships between women in masculine organizations allow women to succeed. Self-determination theory and relational cultural theory are used to support the contention that women's friendships satisfy psychological needs of workers in a marginalizing environment contributing to career success.…”

Navigating Open Science as Early Career Feminist Researchers

“…Community, collegiality, and collaboration are hallmarks of the feminist agenda (Lorde, 1984). Feminist research values cross-career collaboration in the form of mentorship, support, and supervision of junior colleagues (Acker & Wagner, 2019), as well as friendship (Kaeppel et al, 2020). Collaboration is also a cornerstone of open science (e.g., Open Science Collaboration, 2015), whereby rigorous and transparent science is made possible due to international and cross-disciplinary collaboration (Brock, 2020).…”