Quelle: Gend Work Organ (Gender, Work and Organization), (2023)
Inhalt: The article illuminates how gender inequality in Ireland's higher education sector continues to be constituted at policy and at local institutional levels as a problem that requires ‘fixing the women”. It analyses two gender equality projects' discursive materials targeting female academics in Irish universities, showing that while these projects embrace elements of feminist praxis and critique, they ultimately propagate “cruel optimism”. They do this by exhorting women academics' subjectification to burdensome practices of strategizing, self-auditing and self-promotion, lured by the promise of awards that only a few will attain. Presented are two cases of what we call “promising promotional projects” that we have encountered in our work in our university. We use the term “projects” to refer to time-limited, bounded interventions that respond to “gender equality” as a field of government, where problems have been diagnosed and where practicable and pragmatic solutions are seen to be required. Our discursive-deconstructive reading of these projects' discursive materials highlights how gender equality projects target women for “promotion” through mobilizing gendered technologies of the self.
Autor/in:
EIGE European Institute for Gender Equality
Quelle: Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union, 2020.
Inhalt: What is grey literature? It is literature produced by non-commercial publishers, such as public institutions, universities, research institutes and civil society. It contains a lot of useful content, but is often hard to find as it is scattered across different locations. EIGE has collected grey literature on gender equality and you can access our collection through a simple search interface. EIGE's collection of grey literature is available in several EU languages and documents come from all EU Member States. EIGE's library hosts one of the largest collections on gender-related literature related to research. The collection presents good practices of current policies throughout Europe as well as gender indicators aimed at assessing gender equality in research. Several resources focus on the ways in which the EU has mainstreamed gender into policy processes for research. You will also find research reports and statistical documents providing data on key gender issues related to research.
Schlagwörter:Bibliographie; European Institute for Gender Equality; gender equality; Gender Mainstreaming; research; Wissenschaft
CEWS Kategorie:Europa und Internationales, Gleichstellungspolitik, Hochschulen
Inhalt: The title of this volume captures a central question in contemporary Gender Studies and Sociology. It has, in different ways, preoccupied the researchers who contribute to this special volume for many years. Inspired by feminist theory and practice, it addresses the gendering, the complex gendering, of knowledge, science, research, policy, equality, academia, universities and higher education, along with many interlinked reflections and memories on working together, collegiality and friendship.
Schlagwörter:excellence; Fellowship; gatekeeping; harassment; knowledge production
CEWS Kategorie:Europa und Internationales, Hochschulen, Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung, Gleichstellungspolitik
Context matters: Problematizing the policy‐practice interface in the enactment of gender equality action plans in universities
Autor/in:
Ní Laoire, Caitríona; Linehan, Carol; Archibong, Uduak; Picardi, Ilenia; Udén, Maria
Quelle: Gend Work Organ (Gender, Work and Organization), (2020)
Inhalt: This study argues for recognition of the constitutive role of context in shaping the dynamics of the policy‐practice interface in the field of gender equality in universities. Using a comparative and reflective case‐study approach, we draw on our experiences, as action‐researchers, of developing and implementing Gender Equality Action Plans (GEAPs) in four universities in four different European countries and we explore the role of national and local context in the mediation and translation of the GEAP model. Drawing on the concepts of gendered organizations, dialogic organizational change, and policy mobilities, we argue for the need to be critical of approaches to gender equality in higher education (HE) that presume policy measures and good practice models transfer unproblematically to different HE organizations in different international contexts; instead, we draw attention to the contingent ways in which uneven gender relations articulate and manifest in different contexts, shaping possibilities for, and obstacles to, gender equality intervention. Thus, we argue that context plays a crucial constitutive role in the interpretation, enactment, and impact of gender equality policy in HE.
Schlagwörter:action research; case study; gender equality plan; gendered organization; Gleichstellungsmaßnahmen; Gleichstellungsplan; good practice; Hochschule; internationaler Vergleich; Organisational Change; Organisationswandel; translation
CEWS Kategorie:Europa und Internationales, Hochschulen, Gleichstellungspolitik
Maneuvering within postfeminism: A study of gender equality practitioners in Danish academia
Autor/in:
Utoft, Ea Høg
Quelle: Gend Work Organ (Gender, Work and Organization), (2020)
Inhalt: In Denmark, gender equality in academia has seen limited progress during the past 30 years. To improve our understanding of this persistent problem, this article examines gender equality practitioners in relation to the wider discursive context of Danish society. Theorizing Denmark as a “postfeminist gender regime,” I analyze how practitioners negotiate a space for action in a context which generally opposes gender equality initiatives. I introduce the notion of “maneuvering” as a way to understand this negotiation between hegemonic, postfeminist discourses, on the one hand, and marginal and potentially subversive discourses on the other. Practitioners may maneuver in how they understand inequality and potential solutions, and in the meetings between them, their work and the postfeminist gender regime. Successful maneuvering enables the use of more radical change strategies than postfeminism otherwise allows. Practitioners' ability to maneuver rests on their critical reflexivity, which in turn is conditioned by their knowledge of gender and power dynamics. The study thus points to the centrality of selecting highly qualified individuals as gender equality practitioners.
A Women-Only Leadership Development Program : Facilitating Access to Authority for Women in Swedish Higher Education?
Autor/in:
Peterson, Helen
Quelle: Soc. Sci. (Social Sciences), 8 (2019) 5, 137 S
Inhalt: This article explores a national women-only leadership development program in Swedish higher education, the so-called IDAS program (an acronym for Identity, Development, Advancement, Support). IDAS encouraged and supported women academics to pursue leadership/administrative careers in higher education and was a unique intervention, aiming to increase the number of women Rectors. By drawing on interviews with some of the women who participated in the IDAS program and subsequently became Rectors, the article provides a valuable case study over best practices to increase women senior leaders in higher education. Notwithstanding the success of the leadership program, the article also deals with resistance and criticism linked to equal opportunity initiatives such as this. The article analyzes the criticism voiced by the women interviewed and suggests that it can be understood in relation to different conceptions of gender and gender (in)equality.
Myriad potential for mentoring : Understanding the process of transformational change through a gender equality intervention
Autor/in:
Leenders, Joke; Bleijenbergh, Inge L.; van den Brink, Marieke C.L.
Quelle: Gender Work Organ (Gender, Work & Organization), 4 (2019) 2, 139 S
Inhalt: This article contributes to understanding transformational change towards gender equality by examining the transformational change potential of a mentoring programme for women, a type of gender equality intervention both criticized and praised for its ability to bring about change. Drawing upon an empirical case study of a mentoring programme for women academics in a Dutch university, we explore three dimensions of transformational change: organizational members (i) discussing and reflecting upon gendered organizational norms and work practices; (ii) creating new narratives; and (iii) experimenting with new work practices. Our findings indicate five specific conditions that enable transformational change: cross‐mentoring, questioning what is taken for granted, repeating participation and individual stories, facilitating peer support networks and addressing and equipping all participants as change agents. We suggest that these conditions should be taken into account when (re)designing effective organizational gender equality interventions.
Quelle: Soc. Sci. (Social Sciences), 8 (2019) 6, 168 S
Inhalt: Women are under-represented in leadership roles in United Kingdom Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Existing scholarship focuses on institutional barriers, which include cognitive bias and entrenched homosocial cultures, rather than external factors such as the use of executive search firms (ESFs) in recruitment and selection. Recent research indicates that the use of ESFs is increasing for senior HEI appointments. This analysis offers insights on these firms’ involvement from a gender equality perspective, based on the results from a study that used a ‘virtuous circle’ approach to research and knowledge exchange. The requirement for HEIs to pay ‘due regard’ to equality considerations under the Public Sector Equality Duty provides a framework for analysis. This paper provides new insights on the dynamics within recruitment processes when ESFs are involved and on how a legislative approach can leverage better equality outcomes
Schlagwörter:Führungsposition; Gleichstellungspolitik; Gleichstellungsrecht; Großbritannien; Hochschule; Professorin; Professur; recruitment; Rekrutierung; UK
CEWS Kategorie:Europa und Internationales, Gleichstellungspolitik, Hochschulen
Success against the odds : The Effect of Mentoing on the Careers of Senior Black and Minority Ethnic Academics in the UK
Autor/in:
Bhopal, Kalwant
Quelle: British Journal of Educational Studies, 14 (2019) 4, S 1–17
Inhalt: This article explores the effect of mentoring on the career progression of Black and minority ethnic (BME) academics in senior roles in UK higher education institutions (HEIs). It draws on 37 interviews with BME academics working in HEIs in the UK and argues that whilst universities present a strong rhetoric of equality and diversity; this is not necessarily followed by specific policies and procedures which ensure a serious commitment to an equality agenda.
Schlagwörter:Diversität; impact; Intersektionalität; Mentoring; Networking; Netzwerk; people of color; Rassismus; UK; Unterstützungsmaßnahmen
CEWS Kategorie:Diversity, Europa und Internationales, Gleichstellungspolitik, Hochschulen
Individualized sex equality in transforming Finnish academia
Autor/in:
Lätti, Johanna
Quelle: European Educational Research Journal, 16 (2017) 2-3, S 258–276
Inhalt: This article examines the equality agenda in the context of Finnish university reform in the 21st century. In Finland, the academic regime went through an organizational transformation after the Universities Act in 2009. However, little attention has been paid to the questions of sex or equality. Since the policy influences on equality in education and work are increasingly transnational, this article also observes the role of gender mainstreaming in universities’ equality agenda. The appearance of sex equality is analysed through a variety of documentary materials. The findings indicate the balance between higher educational demands and tightening requirements on equality promotion. Equality work, as a part of human resources, is seen through legislation and provides common good and market advantages. The aims seek to ensure similar treatment between individuals and case-specific anti-discrimination, separating spheres of academic work and private life. The focus is on subjective rights on economic rewards and career opportunities. Yet, confused by the abstract principle of gender mainstreaming, the individually oriented view diverges from the traditional Nordic equality model. The study suggests an evaluation of key concepts and assumptions of equality politics in higher education institutions.
Individualized sex equality in transforming Finnish academia. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317118864_Individualized_sex_equality_in_transforming_Finnish_academia [accessed Jul 7, 2017].