Sisterly advice for feminists in academia when playing the game and working the cracks

ABSTRACT

This paper introduces a set of workarounds for early-career feminist academics. Successful senior women academics in feminist and other critical disciplines were asked about their experiences within the academic system, how they thrived in the neoliberal academy while practicing feminist scholarship and activism. They revealed how they paid the price for unmasking the rules of the game and working the cracks within the system. Based on their experiences the new generation of feminist activists in academia is encouraged to B-E-L-I-E-F. Altogether, the findings reveal that gender and feminist commitment add to the complexities of academic career making, and while the suggested workarounds will not bring instant revolutionary change, they can help academic activists thrive and create change through feminist scholarship and activism.

KEYWORDS:

• Academia
• feminists
• career making
• workarounds

Acknowledgements

We use multiple ‘first’ authors practice in this study. We have contributed equally to the ideas of the paper, design of the study, data collection and analysis, writings and the discussion.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Thamar Melanie Heijstra

Thamar Melanie Heijstra is an Associate Professor in Sociology at the Faculty of Sociology, Anthropology and Folkloristics at the University of Iceland. Her main areas of expertise are organizational culture, work conditions, work-family balance, well-being and gender relations.

Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir

Gyða Margrét Pétursdóttir is a Professor in Gender Studies at the Faculty of Political Science, University of Iceland. Her main areas of expertise are femininities, masculinities, gender relations, gender-based violence, work cultures, and family responsibility.