I akademia har det vært tradisjon for å assosiere karriere og avansement med personlig talent og ... more I akademia har det vært tradisjon for å assosiere karriere og avansement med personlig talent og særlige kompetanser, og noe som gjerne har blitt forstått som den enkeltes ansvar. Karriereutvikling i Norge blir imidlertid, i stadig større grad, definert som et ansvar for universitetet som organisasjon, og noe som alle bør delta i. Siden kvinner utgjør 31 % (DBH, 2019) av professorer og dosenter, er organiserte kvinnenettverk et av de tiltak som blir brukt for å bidra til karriereutvikling. I denne artikkelen viser vi hva kvinnelige førsteamanuensiser og førstelektorer som deltok i et slikt nettverk selv la vekt på som betydningsfulle sider ved nettverksdeltakelsen, og hvordan det bidro til deres karriereutvikling. Vi analyserer refleksjonslogger som kvinnene skrev mens de deltok i et karrierenettverk. Resultatene viser at deltakelsen rommet både sosial og faglig støtte, noe som bidro til et stort engasjement og bevissthet om egne strategiske valg. Det går imidlertid også fram at stø...
The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians... more The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians, academic leaders, students, and other stakeholders. A popular explanation for the gender imbalance in elite positions is that potential female candidates lack ambition and therefore do not have sufficient drive to make it to the top. In this study, we explore the issue of professional ambition among a group of women academics working as tenured associate professors in Norway. With the backdrop of VIE (Valence-instrumentality-expectancy) theory, we focus on two key subjective, but nonetheless contextual judgments that are assumed to underlie the decision to aim for a promotional opportunity; (i) Do I want it and (ii) Can I make it? Three sources of qualitative data provide interesting insights into these considerations, and our findings point to focusing more specifically on the perceived costs that are assumed to derive from making this career choice. The women are ambitious in the sense that they desire the professional clout and impact that comes with this top role (so, yes, they want it). However, a number of conditions are perceived to be central to the actual realization of their ambitions, such as more time, resources and transparency when it comes to the qualification process. The findings may serve as important to designing more suitable career conditions for this target group in practice. Finally, we propose the application of a context-specific gender perspective to better understand women’s career ambitions in higher education institutions (HEI).
The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians... more The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians, academic leaders, students, and other stakeholders. A popular explanation for the gender imbalance in elite positions is that potential female candidates lack ambition and therefore do not have sufficient drive to make it to the top. In this study, we explore the issue of professional ambition among a group of women academics working as tenured associate professors in Norway. With the backdrop of VIE (Valence-instrumentality-expectancy) theory, we focus on two key subjective, but nonetheless contextual judgments that are assumed to underlie the decision to aim for a promotional opportunity; (i) Do I want it and (ii) Can I make it? Three sources of qualitative data provide interesting insights into these considerations, and our findings point to focusing more specifically on the perceived costs that are assumed to derive from making this career choice. The women are ambitious in the sense that they desire the professional clout and impact that comes with this top role (so, yes, they want it). However, a number of conditions are perceived to be central to the actual realization of their ambitions, such as more time, resources and transparency when it comes to the qualification process. The findings may serve as important to designing more suitable career conditions for this target group in practice. Finally, we propose the application of a context-specific gender perspective to better understand women’s career ambitions in higher education institutions (HEI).
I akademia har det vært tradisjon for å assosiere karriere og avansement med personlig talent og ... more I akademia har det vært tradisjon for å assosiere karriere og avansement med personlig talent og særlige kompetanser, og noe som gjerne har blitt forstått som den enkeltes ansvar. Karriereutvikling i Norge blir imidlertid, i stadig større grad, definert som et ansvar for universitetet som organisasjon, og noe som alle bør delta i. Siden kvinner utgjør 31 % (DBH, 2019) av professorer og dosenter, er organiserte kvinnenettverk et av de tiltak som blir brukt for å bidra til karriereutvikling. I denne artikkelen viser vi hva kvinnelige førsteamanuensiser og førstelektorer som deltok i et slikt nettverk selv la vekt på som betydningsfulle sider ved nettverksdeltakelsen, og hvordan det bidro til deres karriereutvikling. Vi analyserer refleksjonslogger som kvinnene skrev mens de deltok i et karrierenettverk. Resultatene viser at deltakelsen rommet både sosial og faglig støtte, noe som bidro til et stort engasjement og bevissthet om egne strategiske valg. Det går imidlertid også fram at stø...
The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians... more The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians, academic leaders, students, and other stakeholders. A popular explanation for the gender imbalance in elite positions is that potential female candidates lack ambition and therefore do not have sufficient drive to make it to the top. In this study, we explore the issue of professional ambition among a group of women academics working as tenured associate professors in Norway. With the backdrop of VIE (Valence-instrumentality-expectancy) theory, we focus on two key subjective, but nonetheless contextual judgments that are assumed to underlie the decision to aim for a promotional opportunity; (i) Do I want it and (ii) Can I make it? Three sources of qualitative data provide interesting insights into these considerations, and our findings point to focusing more specifically on the perceived costs that are assumed to derive from making this career choice. The women are ambitious in the sense that they desire the professional clout and impact that comes with this top role (so, yes, they want it). However, a number of conditions are perceived to be central to the actual realization of their ambitions, such as more time, resources and transparency when it comes to the qualification process. The findings may serve as important to designing more suitable career conditions for this target group in practice. Finally, we propose the application of a context-specific gender perspective to better understand women’s career ambitions in higher education institutions (HEI).
The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians... more The disproportion of women to men at the top tier in the academic hierarchy, concerns politicians, academic leaders, students, and other stakeholders. A popular explanation for the gender imbalance in elite positions is that potential female candidates lack ambition and therefore do not have sufficient drive to make it to the top. In this study, we explore the issue of professional ambition among a group of women academics working as tenured associate professors in Norway. With the backdrop of VIE (Valence-instrumentality-expectancy) theory, we focus on two key subjective, but nonetheless contextual judgments that are assumed to underlie the decision to aim for a promotional opportunity; (i) Do I want it and (ii) Can I make it? Three sources of qualitative data provide interesting insights into these considerations, and our findings point to focusing more specifically on the perceived costs that are assumed to derive from making this career choice. The women are ambitious in the sense that they desire the professional clout and impact that comes with this top role (so, yes, they want it). However, a number of conditions are perceived to be central to the actual realization of their ambitions, such as more time, resources and transparency when it comes to the qualification process. The findings may serve as important to designing more suitable career conditions for this target group in practice. Finally, we propose the application of a context-specific gender perspective to better understand women’s career ambitions in higher education institutions (HEI).
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