In a Different Voice? The Stories of Women Heads of Departments

Dalit Yassour-Borochowitz, Helena Desivilya Syna and Michal Palgi

Chapter 5 in Women’s Voices in Management, 2015, pp 65-82 from Palgrave Macmillan

Abstract: Abstract The chain of events that led to the present study was as follows. The three authors have served as heads of departments, and their personal experiences in this post often gave rise to chance conversations among them as well as with other women about their experiences and feelings regarding the position. They felt a need to discuss, understand, and study the issue in greater depth, while incorporating other women into the process. Their personal motivation and needs led them to a decision to conduct a study dealing with the experiences of women serving as department heads. A participative research approach was chosen, that is, establishing a learning community that would enable them to “wear two hats” — one of researchers and one of study participants. The aim of the present study was to learn about the women’s formative experiences as department heads: the impetus for accepting such a post, how they have negotiated the terms of this position and shaped its nature, what challenges and difficulties they have encountered serving in this office, while exploring the connection of these aspects with their gender identities (Gleeson, 2008; Lewis, 2006; Meyerson and Kolb, 2000; Parsons and Priola, 2012). We endeavored to elucidate from the study participants’ stories the main and particular features of their managerial voices, including gender overtones as embedded in the organizational culture of the academic world (Martin and Collinson, 2002; Martin, 2001; Townsley, 2003).

Keywords: Gender Identity; Gender Stereotype; Academic Career; Department Head; Woman Manager (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pal:palchp:978-1-137-43215-5_5

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DOI: 10.1057/9781137432155_5

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