Survival of the fittest: women’s academic experiences of navigating neoliberal expectations in Turkish universities

ABSTRACT

This study is grounded on the idea that women academics could be experiencing significant challenges and injustices in the gender-blind, market-driven, and performative culture of the neoliberal academe. The study particularly explores the perceptions of Turkish academic women regarding their career experiences, and evaluates these perceptions in respect to their subjective well-being. The data was gathered through in-depth interviews with twenty-eight women academics from Turkish state universities. The analysis revealed that academic women who managed to achieve academic status and esteem seemed to have paid the price in their private lives and given in a lot in regard to their well-being. Implications were made to improve work conditions in the academe so that women do not have to pay such a penalty to make a successful academic career.

KEYWORDS:

• Women academics
• performativity culture
• neoliberal academy
• academic career
• higher education
• well-being

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Şöheyda Göktürk

Şöheyda Göktürk is a professor of educational administration and leadership in Kocaeli University, Turkey. She earned her PhD in the George Washington University, the USA. Her research interests include organisational behaviour, pedagogy in different cultures, and educational policy analysis.

Tijen Tülübaş

Tijen Tülübaş completed her undergraduate education at Middle East Technical University, Department of Foreign Language Education and earned her PhD in educational administration and leadership at Kocaeli University, Turkey. She is an English instructor at Namık Kemal University School of Foreign Languages, Tekirdağ. Her research interests include organisational behaviour, management and leadership in higher education.