Navigating tensions between institutional and cultural quandaries: reflexive journey of Chinese female doctoral students

ABSTRACT

This study examines the challenges of female doctoral students in China at the intersection of neoliberal education and Confucian gender roles. Employing qualitative interviews with 12 students, it explores how they navigate academic pressures and societal expectations. Leveraging Margaret Archer's reflexivity theory, key findings show that these students employ various reflexivity strategies to manage the tensions between their academic goals and societal roles. Fractured-meta reflexivity reveals how students reassess their academic paths in response to rigorous demands, autonomous-communicative reflexivity balances self-motivation with external support, and meta-autonomous reflexivity involves transcending societal constraints. The study emphasizes the need for reforms in doctoral program structures to better support female doctoral students, including more flexible academic timelines and improved support systems. It also advocates for policy changes to address gender biases and promote equity in academia.

KEYWORDS:

• Reflexivity
• Chinese female doctoral students
• academic neoliberalism
• societal norms
• gender roles
• structure and agency

Acknowledgement

This article has gained from feedback during the Comparative Educational Sociology course by UC Berkeley and NTNU. Thanks to Dr. Håkon Leiulfsrud (NTNU), Ann Christin Eklund Nilsen (UiA), David Harding (UC Berkeley), Trinel Torian (UC Berkeley), and participating graduate students for their valuable insights. Special appreciation goes to Dr. Gina Ann Garcia (UC Berkeley) for her manuscript guidance.

Disclosure statement

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