Inhalt: "This article reports an investigation into the influence of gender at a pre-1992
UK university. Interviews with Heads of Departments and others defined as occupying
'middle management' positions reveal three distinct stances to the new higher education,
of 'collaboration', 'resistance' and 'transformation' and the article explores how
gender influences these stances. It attempts to move beyond a simple focus on gender
differences, towards answering Bacchi's (1990) call for 'a more useful political analysis
(which) would draw attention to the way in which the current economic system encourages
certain behaviours and discourages others'. It shows that women academics are taking
a transformational stance, but that the stances are not gender-specific. Gender is
institutionally embedded with other organizational characteristics, such as academic
discipline, departmental size, compatibility with external commercial activity, and
the ability or otherwise to generate funds. Questions are raised about the contribution
of such stances to the future of the new educational order." (author's abstract)|