Explaining gender inequality in Iceland: what makes the difference?

Abstract

This article examines the explanations offered by men and women, at different academic ranks, for the scarcity of women in full professorial positions in Icelandic universities. Data derive from interviews and a survey involving the total Icelandic academic population. We test three hypotheses: Firstly, academics will not see family responsibilities as explanation, secondly, women will more often refer to a male-dominated environment and men more often to the ‘pipeline’ metaphor. Thirdly, the views of full professor women will be comparable to that of academic men. We find that the impact of the national context is considerably less than that of the gendered academic organizational context. Men and women explain gender inequality within academia differently. Moreover, full professor women are less convinced by the male-dominated environment explanation than lower-ranked women. The article calls for the visibility of gendered patterns in order to make changes.

Keywords:

• academia
• gendered organizations
• habitus
• Iceland
• reflexivity

Notes on contributors

Thamar Melanie Heijstra is a senior researcher and part-time lecturer at the Faculty of Human and Social Sciences, University of Iceland. She holds a PhD in Sociology from The University of Iceland, and her research interests revolve around work and organizations, well-being, work–family balance, and gender. She has published a number of peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters.

Pat O'Connor is Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Limerick, Ireland (where she was Dean, Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences 2000–10). She is a member of the cross national EU Framework 7 Project (2012–2017) on Female Empowerment in Science in Academia(FESTA). Her research interests revolve around gender: at an institutional, organizational and personal level. She has over 100 publications including books, peer reviewed journal articles, chapters and other publications.

Gudbjörg Linda Rafnsdóttir is Professor of Sociology at the University of Iceland and Head of the Faculty of Social and Human Sciences. She holds a PhD in Sociology from The University of Lund, Sweden. Her main research interests are working life, gender, occupational health and well-being, welfare and virtual work. She has published three books and approximately 100 essays, book chapters, and articles in international and Nordic peer reviewed journals.

Acknowledgements

We thank the University of Iceland Research Fund for supporting the study.