scholarly journals Academics as Superheroes: Female academics' lack of fit with the masculine stereotype of success limits their career advancement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ruth van Veelen ◽  
Belle Derks
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Academic Cultures ◽  
Lack Of Fit ◽  
Dutch Universities ◽  
Successful Academic

Gender gaps in academia persist with women being less likely to attain leadership, earning less salary, and receiving less research funding and resources compared to their male peers. The current research proposes yet another gender gap in academia called lack of fit, whereby compared to male academics, female academics perceive themselves to fit less well with the masculine 'superhero' stereotype of the successful academic. Results from a nationwide survey performed on all Dutch universities (N = 3978) demonstrated that academics perceive agency (e.g., self-confident, self-focused, competitive) as more descriptive of the stereotypical successful academic than communality (e.g., team-oriented, good teacher, collegial). Moreover, early career female academics perceived highest lack of fit with this agentic occupational stereotype, which predicted lower work engagement, career efficacy and career identification, and higher stress and exit intentions. Implications for building more inclusive academic cultures, where not only agentic, but also communal academic practice is recognized and rewarded are discussed.

Moving On Up? Effects of Leadership Training and Intersectoral Mobility on Women’s Advancement in Danish Public Administration Management

2021 ◽  
pp. 0734371X2110548
Author(s):  
Müge Kökten Finkel ◽  
Caroline Howard Grøn ◽  
Melanie M. Hughes
Keyword(s):  
Public Sector ◽  
Public Administration ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Leadership Training ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Upper Management ◽  
The Public ◽  
Playing Field ◽  
Public Managers

Women’s underrepresentation in middle and upper management is a well-documented feature of the public sector that threatens performance and legitimacy. Yet, we know far less about the factors most likely to reduce these gender inequalities. In this article, we focus on two well-understood drivers of career advancement in public administration: leadership training and intersectoral mobility. In theory, training in leadership and experience across government levels and policy areas should help both women and men to climb management ranks. We use logistic regression to test this proposition using a representative sample of 1,819 Danish public managers. We find that leadership training disproportionately benefits women, and this helps to level the playing field. However, our analyses show that differences in intersectoral mobility do not explain the gender gap in public sector management.

Women in the workforce

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosanne L. Hartman ◽  
Emily G. Barber
Keyword(s):  
Work Engagement ◽  
Self Efficacy ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Career Planning ◽  
Career Aspirations ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Women In The Workplace ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Coaching Training

Purpose While women perform as well as their male counterparts at work, women are drastically underrepresented in the onboarding process to senior leadership. The link between occupational self-efficacy and the role it may play in how men and women make decisions about work has not been done. The purpose of this study is to examine potential differences of occupational self-efficacy, career aspirations and work engagement between women and men. Design/methodology/approach Online surveys were created and sent out as emails and on social network sites including Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Findings Findings indicate that occupational self-efficacy has positive effect on career aspirations of women in the workplace. Further, there was no statistically significant difference between occupational self-efficacy and work engagement between men and women. However, men were found to have statistically significantly higher career aspirations than women do. Research limitations/implications While men and women do not differ in occupational self-efficacy or work engagement, men do have higher career aspirations than women do. Although women may believe they can accomplish challenging tasks in the workplace, it does not mean this belief is acted upon. Practical implications The study highlights the importance of occupational self-efficacy and its relation to career aspirations. Individuals who are high in occupational self-efficacy may set their own path in advancing within their career. However, individuals who are low or moderate in occupational self-efficacy may require further encouragement and development using additional resources as a catalyst for advancement guidance. While no differences were found between men and women in occupational self-efficacy, human resource practitioners should develop those individuals who are low or moderate in occupational self-efficacy with coaching, training and/or mentoring to build leadership capacity, increase self-efficacy and career-planning acumen. Social implications Men and women behave differently when seeking career advancement and in their career aspirations. For men, advancement is linked to performance whereas women use a multi-pronged approach focusing on preparing for career success and building role competency. Differences in strategy for advancement mean men will actively engage in behaviors to advance even when they do not have the knowledge or experience to perform in the new role. Conversely, women seek to feel competent in a work role prior to seeking it out. Finding ways to mentor women toward higher self-efficacy for their next career advancement will benefit organizations overall. Originality/value Research examining the role of occupational self-efficacy and its relation to career aspirations does not exist in comparing men and women.

scholarly journals Gender contributes to personal research funding success in The Netherlands

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (40) ◽  
pp. 12349-12353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romy van der Lee ◽  
Naomi Ellemers
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Women In Academia ◽  
Scientific Disciplines ◽  
Funding Success ◽  
Underrepresentation Of Women ◽  
Personal Research

We examined the application and review materials of three calls (n= 2,823) of a prestigious grant for personal research funding in a national full population of early career scientists awarded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Results showed evidence of gender bias in application evaluations and success rates, as well as in language use in instructions and evaluation sheets. Male applicants received significantly more competitive “quality of researcher” evaluations (but not “quality of proposal” evaluations) and had significantly higher application success rates than female applicants. Gender disparities were most prevalent in scientific disciplines with the highest number of applications and with equal gender distribution among the applicants (i.e., life sciences and social sciences). Moreover, content analyses of the instructional and evaluation materials revealed the use of gendered language favoring male applicants. Overall, our data reveal a 4% “loss” of women during the grant review procedure, and illustrate the perpetuation of the funding gap, which contributes to the underrepresentation of women in academia.

scholarly journals Selling science: optimizing the research funding evaluation and decision process

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claartje J. Vinkenburg ◽  
Carolin Ossenkop ◽  
Helene Schiffbaenker
Keyword(s):  
Process Optimization ◽  
Group Dynamics ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Evaluation Process ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Lack Of Fit ◽  
Biased Language ◽  
Recruitment And Selection

PurposeIn this contribution to EDI's professional insights, the authors develop practical and evidence-based recommendations that are developed for bias mitigation, discretion elimination and process optimization in panel evaluations and decisions in research funding. An analysis is made of how the expectation of “selling science” adds layers of complexity to the evaluation and decision process. The insights are relevant for optimization of similar processes, including publication, recruitment and selection, tenure and promotion.Design/methodology/approachThe recommendations are informed by experiences and evidence from commissioned projects with European research funding organizations. The authors distinguish between three aspects of the evaluation process: written applications, enacted performance and group dynamics. Vignettes are provided to set the stage for the analysis of how bias and (lack of) fit to an ideal image makes it easier for some than for others to be funded.FindingsIn research funding decisions, (over)selling science is expected but creates shifting standards for evaluation, resulting in a narrow band of acceptable behavior for applicants. In the authors' recommendations, research funding organizations, evaluators and panel chairs will find practical ideas and levers for process optimization, standardization and customization, in terms of awareness, accountability, biased language, criteria, structure and time.Originality/valueShowing how “selling science” in research funding adds to the cumulative disadvantage of bias, the authors offer design specifications for interventions to mitigate the negative effects of bias on evaluations and decisions, improve selection habits, eliminate discretion and create a more inclusive process.

scholarly journals Publication rates of research projects of an internal funding program of a university medical center in Germany: A retrospective study (2004–2013)

PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0243092
Author(s):  
Susanne Deutsch ◽  
Silke Reuter ◽  
Astrid Rose ◽  
René Tolba
Keyword(s):  
Research Funding ◽  
Medical Center ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Project Duration ◽  
Research Results ◽  
Publication Rates ◽  
Funding Program ◽  
Funding Programs ◽  
Internal Funding

Objectives Non-publication and publication bias are topics of considerable importance to the scientific community. These issues may limit progress toward the 3R principle for animal research, promote waste of public resources, and generate biased interpretations of clinical outcomes. To investigate current publishing practices and to gain some understanding of the extent to which research results are reported, we examined publication rates of research projects that were approved within an internal funding program of the Faculty of Medicine at a university medical center in Germany, which is exemplary for comparable research funding programs for the promotion of young researchers in Germany and Europe. Methods We analyzed the complete set (n = 363) of research projects that were supported by an internal funding program between 2004 and 2013. We divided the projects into four different proposal types that included those that required an ethics vote, those that included an animal proposal, those that included both requirements, and those that included neither requirement. Results We found that 65% of the internally funded research projects resulted in at least one peer-reviewed publication; this increased to 73% if other research contributions were considered, including abstracts, book and congress contributions, scientific posters, and presentations. There were no significant differences with respect to publication rates based on (a) the clinic/institute of the applicant, (b) project duration, (c) scope of funding or (d) proposal type. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to explore publication rates associated with early-career medical research funding. As >70% of the projects ultimately generated some form of publication, the program was overall effective toward this goal; however, non-publication of research results is still prevalent. Further research will explore the reasons underlying non-publication. We hope to use these findings to develop strategies that encourage publication of research results.

scholarly journals Gender Distribution of Organizing Committees and Invited Speakers at the International Conferences on Emergency Medicine

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayle Galletta ◽  
Imron Subhan ◽  
Priyadarshini Marathe
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medicine ◽  
Interest Group ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Special Interest ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
International Federation ◽  
Special Interest Group ◽  
Leadership Positions ◽  
Gender Distribution ◽  
Gender Specific

Background: It has been documented that women are under-represented as speakers at emergency medicine conferences globally. This lack of opportunity is likely contributing to the gender gap of women in academic and leadership positions. Methods: The Gender-Specific Issues Special Interest Group (GSI-SIG) of the International Federation of Emergency Medicine (IFEM) has analyzed the gender distribution of invited speakers, plenary speakers, and organizing committees from its last three International Conferences on Emergency Medicine in 2016, 2018, and 2019. Results: Men comprised 75% (range 57-92%) of organizing committees, 69% (67-70%) of plenary speakers, and 78% (range 75-81%) of invited speakers. Conclusion: The percentage of women speakers at the IFEM International Conferences on Emergency Medicine is low; even below the percentage of women emergency medicine physicians. By understanding these data and their consequences, changes can be made to close this gender gap and create more equitable opportunities for women and their career advancement.

scholarly journals Career choices for obstetrics and gynaecology: recent updates from 40 years of national surveys of UK medical graduates

JRSM Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (10) ◽  
pp. 205427041986161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Trevor W Lambert ◽  
Fay Smith ◽  
Michael J Goldacre
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Career Choices ◽  
Career Pathways ◽  
Specialty Choice ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Medical Graduates ◽  
Obstetrics And Gynaecology ◽  
First Choice ◽  
Questionnaire Surveys ◽  
Career Specialty

Summary Objective To report doctors' early career choices for obstetrics and gynaecology, their eventual career destinations and factors influencing their career pathways. Design Multi-cohort multi-purpose national questionnaire surveys of medical graduates in selected graduation years between 1974 and 2015. Setting UK. Participants UK-trained medical graduates. Main outcome measures Career specialty choices; certainty about specialty choice; factors which influenced doctors' career choices; career specialty destinations 10 years after graduation. Results Obstetrics and Gynaecology was the first choice of career for 5.7% of post-2002 graduates in year 1, 4.3% in year 3 and 3.8% in year 5. A much higher percentage of women than men specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as their first choice: in year 1, 7.7% of women and 2.3% of men did so. The gender gap has widened since the 1970s and 1980s. In recent years, of those who specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as their first choice in year 1 after graduation, 48% were working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in year 10 (63% of men, 45% of women). Looking backwards from career destinations, 85% of doctors working in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in year 10 had specified Obstetrics and Gynaecology as a first, second or third choice of preferred career in year 1. Conclusions Interest in Obstetrics and Gynaecology among UK graduates appears to be exceeding the demand for new specialists. Policy needs to address risks of over-production of trainees and ensure that some graduates interested in Obstetrics and Gynaecology consider alternative careers. The large gender imbalance should encourage consideration of the reasons for men choosing Obstetrics and Gynaecology in falling numbers.

scholarly journals Psychological career resources, career adaptability and work engagement of generational cohorts in the media industry

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melinde Coetzee ◽  
Nadia Ferreira ◽  
Crysanther Shunmugum
Keyword(s):  
Career Development ◽  
Work Engagement ◽  
Early Career ◽  
Design Approach ◽  
Generational Cohorts ◽  
Media Industry ◽  
Career Adaptability ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Skills Retention ◽  
The Media

Orientation: The global skills crisis coupled with the aging workforce, rapid technological advances and changing nature of work have infringed various challenges upon organisations and employees. Media organisations in particular are affected by these trends, with retention further at risk because of the specialised and scarce skills sought and the versatility and ambiguity inherent in the nature of careers within the media industry, therefore resulting in engagement and skills retention being high on the agenda.Research purpose: The aim of the study was to explore whether employees’ age, psychological career resources and career adaptability significantly predict their work engagement and whether generational cohorts differ significantly regarding these variables.Motivation for the study: Within a retention context, it is important to gain insight into the employees’ personal career-related capabilities and dispositions as these are deemed important for driving career development and engagement levels, which, in turn, impact on the retention of talent.Research design, approach and method: A stratified random sample (N = 248) of predominantly female (63.3%) and black African people (54%) within their early career stages (80% < 45 years) was used. A cross-sectional, quantitative research design approach was followed. Stepwise regression analyses and tests for significant mean differences were performed.Main findings: The results indicated generational cohort (age), career confidence (career adaptability) and career harmonisers (psychological career resources) as significant predictors of work engagement. The Generation Y individuals had higher levels of psychological career resources (career preferences, career values and career drivers), while the Generation X individuals had higher career curiosity. The Baby Boomers showed higher levels of work engagement.Practical and managerial implications: Psycho-social career meta-capacities positively related to work engagement. It is therefore essential that these constructs are taken into account in career development and engagement practices, which, in turn, may contribute towards enhancing talent retention and employability of individuals within the media sector.Contribution: The study contributed new insights on psychological factors among generational cohorts in the media industry that predict their work engagement and possible retention.

scholarly journals Women in the German Workplace: What Facilitates or Constrains Their Claims-Making for Career Advancement?

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (11) ◽  
pp. 214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Luekemann ◽  
Anja-Kristin Abendroth
Keyword(s):  
Gender Gap ◽  
Fixed Effects ◽  
Career Advancement ◽  
Work Life ◽  
Gender Inequalities ◽  
Workplace Cultures ◽  
Ideal Worker Norm ◽  
Ideal Worker ◽  
Employee Data ◽  
The Ideal

To contribute to the understanding of gender inequalities within the workplace, this article explored gender differences in claims-making for career advancement and how they depend on workplace contexts based on unique German linked employer–employee data. Applying organizational fixed-effects models, we found that women were less likely than men to make claims, especially when they had children, and that this was related to their working fewer hours. The gender gap in claims-making further depended on workplace characteristics that influenced women’s ability and their feeling of deservingness to work in more demanding positions. Although claims by mothers’ increased in work–life supportive workplaces, highly demanding workplace cultures seemed to hinder women’s attempts to negotiate for career advancement. Thus, the dominance of the ideal worker norm was a relevant driver for the gender gap in claims-making. Whereas this gap in making claims was found to be only partially related to the workplace gender structure, the formalization of human resource practices, such as performance-based evaluations in the workplace, fostered mothers’ claims-making, indicating that these evaluations were used to legitimize their claims in the workplace.

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