1000 MsS Riordan

Mid-career development of academic women in South Africa: 

Mid-career development of academic women in South Africa

Introduction: 

Introduction Current investigation Gender equity rhetoric Emphasis on literature Initial findings

Higher Education context: 

Higher Education context Structure and history of HE contextualize career development (Poole & Bornholdt, 1998) South African universities undergoing significant transformation Sweeping structural and cultural changes Pre 1994 Complete restructuring within new legislative framework In 2006 women are still significantly under-represented at senior levels Same as other countries that do not share SA history

Academic work content: 

Academic work content Teaching, research and consulting or public service (Poole & Bornholdt, 1998; Scott, 2006) Noteworthy point is different rewards Research is the critical promotion factor (Harris, Thiele & Currie, 1998) Women often teach more (West & Lyon, 1995) Community service does not advance careers like research output does (Bagilhole, 1993) No tenure system in SA but research output determines success Types of universities: research, teaching, professional schools (Botha, 2005)

SO………: 

SO……… In South Africa If the gender equity policies are all in place And it is not about the nature of the work Then there must be another reason Takes us into the world of individual career psychology constructs

Constructs that impact career development of women: 

Constructs that impact career development of women “ women’s career development must place women’s career choices in the context of current social norms and beliefs about women’s capabilities and acceptable roles, and must recognize the overt and covert mechanisms that contribute to maintaining these beliefs” (Schreiber 1998:6)

Mid-career challenges for women: 

Mid-career challenges for women Just when is mid-career? Time for re-evaluation Timing of occupational success ‘Late bloomers’ over 35 (Young, 1992) suggest male timetable ‘High–flyers’ (Ismail, Rasdi & Wahat, 2004) are professors by 48

Opportunity structures: 

Opportunity structures Includes economy, job requirements, sex typing of jobs, distribution of jobs, family structure (Astin, 1984) Also organizational membership, occupational membership, work peers and history of opportunities (August & Quintero, 2001) In SA, historical opportunity structures included limited access to education, jobs, career resources for the midlife cohort of black academics However, now employment equity legislation is a positive opportunity structure How do academic women view current opportunity structures?

Care-giving responsibilities: 

Care-giving responsibilities Frequently cited as reason for lack of progress Data internationally consistent Care-giving in midlife includes children and aging parents High divorce rate in SA What are the care-giving responsibilities of SA academic women?

Career anchors: 

Career anchors Self-concept that explains career patterns Clarity during mid-career Eight possible anchors (Schein, 1996) Career values of academics include autonomy, independence and a challenging environment (Lindholm, 2004) ‘New managerialism’ that emphasizes results over process disadvantages women (Saunderson, 2002) Are individual career values congruent with those of the university?

Career patterns: 

Career patterns Differ in terms of stability of field, direction of movement, duration of time (Brousseau, 1990) Four patterns: linear, expert, spiral and transitory Underpinned by values and characterized by different rewards But only if you have control over career options What are the career patterns of women academics and what shaped them?

Research objective: 

Research objective To investigate the intersecting variables that shape the mid-career experiences of women academics in South Africa

Key research questions: 

Key research questions When is ‘mid-career’ for academic women? How do academic women view current opportunity structures? What are the care-giving responsibilities of SA academic women? What are the career anchors of academic women? Are individual career anchors congruent with those of the university? What are the career patterns of women academics? What factors have shaped these career patterns? What future career actions are women academics considering?

Method: 

Method Qualitative study Individual unit of analysis Pilot group of 15 academic women who attended a 7-day career development intervention Selected by their university Vice-chancellors as potential university leaders Facilitated workshop Series of exercises including the Career Orientations Inventory (Schein, 1990) All written data analyzed using interpretive-descriptive approach

Sample: 

Sample 15 academic women 9 White, 4 African, 1 Indian, 1 Coloured (mixed race) 4 in their 30’s, 7 in their 40’s, 4 in their 50’s 6 have PhD, 8 have Masters, 1 has Honours 3 are full professors, 1 is associate professor 8 universities from north and south of SA

Results: 

Results Context and content of work Personal life Career patterns Career anchors Moderating variables

Context and content of work: 

Context and content of work Black and white women report past disadvantage Current policies advantage them but practices impede them Practices are ‘brutal’ Nature of work has changed significantly But reward structures are the same Research suffers Medical academics carry high patient loads

Personal life: 

Personal life Don’t mention the menopause All subjects except two have care-giving responsibilities for partners, children and/or aging parents Four are single mothers providing only income source Six report high community/spiritual involvement Half report insufficient leisure time

Career patterns: 

Career patterns 8 spiral 4 linear 1 steady/expert 2 transitory Universities are claiming to want individuals who are flexible and creative but they reward the steady pattern cohort Half the sample, no PhD, therefore unlikely to advance Not planning to change patterns

Career anchors: 

Career anchors Number of anchors TF, GM, AU, SS, SC, CH, EC, LS Every subject with children included ‘lifestyle’ Only one identified ‘general managerial competence’ 11 included ‘service to a cause’ 9 included ‘technical/functional competence’ Results suggest incongruence

Moderating variables: 

Moderating variables Traditional career theory assumes absolute freedom of choice Ignores socio-cultural restraints placed on women (must be care-givers) Ignores notions of state interference in career choice Black women in SA faced significant hurdles

Typical career diverters: 

Typical career diverters Two report ‘struggle involvement’ Two changed jobs because they married Husband of another was often transferred Two left institutions because of unethical and gendered practices Affirmative action where race issues supercede gender issues (“too white”)

Future careers: 

Future careers Lack of PhD Too old (over 50) for promotion Lack of self-confidence Disease to please Four planning to leave HE Five planning to reduce their involvement

If universities want them to stay then they must..: 

If universities want them to stay then they must.. Stop paying lip service to gender equity Translate policies into practice Provide resources for women’s career development Review working hours Review retirement age Recognize patient loads as promotion criteria Align rewards with job demands

Limitations of this study: 

Limitations of this study Small sample (pilot) Only selected career constructs are employed Cross-sectional

However: 

However It does give us something to think about We cannot continue to ignore the individual career psychology constructs that impact on gender imbalance within the academy.