STEMM Educational Leadership During COVID-19: Perspectives of Irish Female Academics

• In Event: Women in Leadership Across the Continents: Equitable Education Systems for All

Abstract

Objectives/Purposes. The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated and laid bare the inadequacies and inconsistencies of career opportunities for women in academic STEMM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics and medicine). This assertion by the National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Mathematics (NASEM) in the United States, notes that the career paths of women in academic STEMM do not parallel those of their male counterparts, who experience a broad range of possibilities when pursuing career goals and ambitions. This presentation seeks to explore, from an Irish perspective, the leadership experiences of women in academic STEMM and the impact of the Covid-19 global health emergency on their career aspirations.

Perspectives. The underrepresentation of women in academic STEMM is well documented. Identity, belonging, and agency are often cited by these women has being critical to positive career engagement and yet, despite many policy initiatives which focus on equality of access and opportunity, often remain elusive. Those female academics who do attain leadership positions within STEMM disciplines comment on the divergence of roles between males and females at the same levels. Men are more able to pursue a research-based agenda, a critical element for career advancement. This lack of gender parity between the sexes became more accentuated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Female academics noted that while their male colleagues often were free to focus on their areas on interest and expertise, women were instead left with both domestic and professional responsibilities. This puts them at a significant disadvantage when career enhancement opportunities arise.

Methods. This study was conducted with 12 women from three different higher education institutions. Sampling was purposeful as the researcher sought women who had attained middle management positions and were seeking to advance their careers into senior management.

Data Sources. As women in academic STEMM do not numerically match their male colleagues, I was particularly interested in those who had actively progressed their careers to date and were interested in attaining further, more senior, leadership positions. An interpretative phenomenological approach was adopted using a qualitative approach to explore the personal narratives of women working in academic STEMM permitting the women time and opportunity to recount their career experiences and aspirations.

Results. All the women recounted Covid-19 experiences of working within a system which asserted its intention to foster and progress the careers of its academic staff and yet which operated to applaud some scholars at the expense of others. All the women noted they worked hard to gain attention of the gatekeepers. Some actively sought and secured support from more senior male colleagues while others engaged with peer mentoring opportunities. Professional and personal blurring of boundaries was a feature of all the participants responses to the Covid-19 restrictions. Creative coping strategies were necessary to enabling and maintaining continued visibility within their professional lives while simultaneously executing domestic obligations.

Scholarly Significance. This investigation adds to the body of literature into the experiences of women academics in STEMM and the ongoing impact of gender on professional attainments and advancement. It also provides new understanding of the impact of the global pandemic on the already-challenging work.

Author

• Mary Elizabeth Cunneen, University College Dublin