What are the barriers and facilitators to success for female academics in UK HEIs? A narrative review

Westoby, Christopher and Dyson, Judith and Cowdell, Fiona and Buescher, Timothy (2021) What are the barriers and facilitators to success for female academics in UK HEIs? A narrative review. Gender and Education. ISSN 0954-0253

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Abstract

Gender inequality prevails in academia; there is currently no review on the barriers and facilitators to success for female academics in UK Higher Education. We conducted a systematic search identifying 32 papers addressing this issue. Narrative review revealed six themes: networks (prohibiting the inclusion of women), home-work balance (where women are expected to make a binary decision between the two), everyday sexism (leading to compromised psychological wellbeing and reduced likelihood of application for career advancement), inclusion/hierarchy/power structure (the assignment of less valued roles), intersectionality, and facilitators (supportive partner and Athena SWAN). The manifest, overarching narrative was of continued biases, barriers, double-standards, and unsupportive work environments.
Law and resulting institutional policy should, but does not appear to, address identified barriers; consideration should be given to processes employed to implement and culturally embed these. Findings suggest we must challenge institutional norms, attitudes and expectations through facilitating accessible networks, consciousness raising and mentorship.

Item Type:	Article
Identification Number:	10.1080/09540253.2021.1884198
Dates:	Date Event 23 December 2020 Accepted 11 February 2021 Published Online
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Barriers, facilitators, advancement, HEI, higher education, sexism, discrimination, progression, female
Subjects:	CAH22 - education and teaching > CAH22-01 - education and teaching > CAH22-01-01 - education
Divisions:	Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences > College of Nursing and Midwifery
Depositing User:	Fiona Cowdell
Date Deposited:	04 Jan 2021 10:51
Last Modified:	11 Aug 2022 03:00
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/10671

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