Glass slippers, Holy Grails and Ivory Towers: gender and advancement in academia

Abstract

Australasia, as with other western countries, has experienced gender differentials in the advancement of women through academia. Some of the barriers to advancement that have been identified in the literature include unconscious attitudes towards work organisation and the value of work performed by men and women. Further, concepts of ‘meritocracy’ may in fact hide gender discrimination and also obscure the role of informal networks in disseminating information and knowledge that privilege some groups over others in the appointment processes. This article draws on in-depth interviews with 32 male and female research active academics across all faculties of a New Zealand university. This article uses the metaphor of fairy tales to explore and explain gendered experiences of academic advancement. The use of a different context to analyse our findings not only protects the anonymity of participants, but uncovers assumptions of work and merit in academic advancement.

Keywords:

• gender
• metaphor
• academic
• promotion
• fairy tale

Notes

^1. Consistent with the academic literature on older workers, the term ‘older’ rather than ‘mature’ has been used. In this study, ‘older’ denotes those aged 45 years plus. ‘Younger’ refers to academic staff aged less than 45 years.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Candice Harris

Candice is an Associate Professor in Management and Deputy HOD of the Department of Management at AUT University. She teaches management and supervises postgraduate students working in the fields of careers and management. Her main areas of research are career development, gender issues in management, discourses of work and qualitative and critical approaches to research.

Katherine Ravenswood

Barbara is a senior lecturer in human resource management, international human resource management, careers and personal and professional development in the Department of Management at AUT University. Barbara teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, and her current research interests include self-initiated expatriation, older workers, gender, international careers, work (paid and unpaid).

Barbara Myers

Katherine Ravenswood is a senior lecturer in the Department of Management at AUT University. Katherine teaches management, employment relations, HRM and organisational behaviour. Her current research interests include employee voice and well-being in aged care; family friendly policy and parental leave; and women and diversity at work.