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…

Purpose: This paper aims to highlight how Black African academics who live and work under coloniality are systematically seen as "out of place" and how this positioning compounds their experiences of interpersonal and systemic marginalisation within predominantly white universities. Design/methodology/approach: This is a conceptual paper…

Despite limited opportunities for tenured academic positions, the number of PhD graduates in Social Sciences has steadily risen in countries with developed research systems. The current literature predominantly portrays PhD graduates as victims, either of the higher education system or of their own optimism in pursuing an academic career. This…

As Australian universities have considered the potential of technology-enabled personalized learning, with some making significant resource investments, there has been little documented about their successes or failures. Additionally, for a sector with a history and culture of collaboration, the ability to learn from other implementations and…

Using an analytical-interpretative autoethnographic account of my move from a professional staff manager to an academic manager in a university, I highlight how career transitions can result in othering due to the academic' professional divide, the strength of academic identity in disciplines and the continued role of women being in positions of…

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…

Twenty-first-century doctoral candidates face a consistently evolving employment landscape. This paper explores how gender and age influence doctoral students' perceptions of employability preparedness provided by their higher education institution for future career pathways. A survey-based study (n = 222) was undertaken at a large regional…

Sport management programs are essential pathways by which aspiring professionals in the sport industry achieve their university education. Although a substantial segment of sport management scholarship has focused on driving for higher rates of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sport industry, less attention has been paid to the sport…

In 2020, COVID-19 triggered rapid growth in the use of flexible work arrangements (FWA) in universities. While the impacts of this shift are still emerging, this article contributes analysis of the ways university staff experienced FWAs prior to the pandemic. In-depth discussions with sixty staff across eight focus groups highlighted substantial…

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…

Recent scholarship on universities explores how academics' families and partners restrict their careers and how academic labour limits these relationships, both in highly gendered ways. Such research less often considers how people's close relations might unevenly support them in continuously relocating; dedicating unpaid time to 'career…

Academic networks have been found to play a significant role in career trajectory via employment opportunities, publishing openings, or being alerted to prospects not widely advertised. These results are reflective of Bourdieu's notion that social capital can see an individual's position within a field (in this article the field of academia)…

"We have too many first-year statistics students but too few who choose to major in statistics" is a common complaint among academics in the discipline of statistics, and our department is no exception. Many non-statistics academics appreciate the value of statistics to their discipline and include at least one statistics unit in their…

Historically, the professional structure of higher education has provided restricted employment, career, and leadership opportunities for women. This is exacerbated where there is an intersection between gender and race, culture, religion, or age. Women continue to be underrepresented in senior leadership positions across a range of disciplines,…