This qualitative study explored a targeted recruitment initiative that was designed to attract and recruit female academic staff in STEM disciplines at an Australian University. Semi-structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with female and male key informants: 16 Panel Members and six Applicants. Codebook Thematic Analysis was applied…

In University life, the first women to achieve status or leadership positions inevitably are perceived as role models to their colleagues, peers and students. Role model theory suggests that although we generally understand the meaning of terms such as "role model" or "mentor", the position of role model has several dimensions…

A significant body of work problematises the assumption that student evaluations of teaching (SET) actually measure teaching quality. This is concerning, given that SET are increasingly relied upon not only to evaluate candidates for employment (so job acquisition is influenced by flawed data) but also to inform performance metrics for those in…

A gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) exists. Fewer females enter academia or advance to senior level positions in academia than the number of females who earn advanced degrees. There are many reasons for this, but common themes include disproportionate responsibilities for childcare and imposter syndrome. For…

Student evaluations of teaching (SETs) feature prominently in higher education and can impact an academic's career. As a result, they have attracted considerable research attention in order to identify evidence of bias and the influence of factors beyond an educator's control. This study investigates the influence of seven factors on a large…

An online survey collected data on a range of female academic experiences globally gaining 260 responses with 144 Australian specific academics' responses (55% of total responses). The pandemic has highlighted positive opportunities such as online teaching and skill development, flexibility, time efficiency, increased collaboration, and time for…

This paper is based on personal narratives of three transnational women academics of colour, within education faculties in Australian universities. As postcolonial subjects we focus, on providing spaces for future educators, to find multiple ways of knowing, being, and relating. Reflecting upon our pedagogic practices, we analyse the empowerment…

A recognised challenge for women in higher education learning and teaching is of rightfully claiming leadership. Higher education processes for recruitment, promotion, awards, grants and fellowship are founded on an ability to document and convincingly present one's leadership contribution. The focus is on evidencing from a traditional, formal…

This paper reports on a project conducted between July 2020 and March 2021 that was developed within the context of COVID-19 and explored the ways in which Australian universities responded to the pandemic and the gendered effects of these responses. This paper demonstrates that sexist and gender discriminatory practices were amplified by the…

Gender inequality in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM) is well documented internationally. The Athena SWAN (AS) Charter was launched in the UK in 2005 to provide an impetus for positive cultural and structural changes to advance gender equality in UK universities. The Australian pilot of the AS Charter began in…

As researchers working within a neoliberalist academic regime propagated by discourses of responsibilisation, risk and prudentialism, we experienced a dilemma about whether to publicly present views expressed by research participants that critiqued the policy position of the government department that funded the research. Our dilemma was…

In an era where higher education institutions appear increasingly committed to what Sara Ahmed calls 'speech acts' whereby declared goodwill, through stated commitments to diversity, equity, and increasing Indigenous student enrolment and completion have been made; it is undeniable that Indigenous academics are in high demand. With fewer than 430…

Student ratings of instruction (SRI) are commonly used to evaluate courses and teaching in higher education. Much debate about their validity in evaluating teaching exists, which is due to concerns of bias by factors unrelated to teaching quality (Spooren et al., 2013). Our objective was to identify peer-reviewed original research published in…

A sequel to 'Inside the Ivory Tower: Narratives of women of colour surviving and thriving in British academia' (2017). These research case studies by Black women academics describe the transformative work of contributors to the Ivory Tower project, adding intersectional voices from the United States, Canada and Australia, and LGBTQ perspectives.…

In 2016 the world witnessed a consolidation of a western brand of political 'populist authoritarianism' that is anti-globalisationalist and creates 'shared objects of loathing' in the popular imagination. This article engages with the implications of this affective and masculinist 'post-truth' era for higher education and analyses the narratives…