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This book offers a new perspective on how Canadian women in the academy are re-conceptualizing and reconsidering their position as professionals. It examines central challenges associated with the lives of women scholars and higher education professionals, including their professional identity, institutional expectations, lessons learned throughout their career experiences in higher education, and navigating between multiple roles.
In turn, the book highlights the importance of both formal and informal networks of support. Each contributing author presents authentic examples from her lived experiences as a woman in the academy, situating her personal narrative within previous research in the field. Taken together, the respective chapters equip readers with a deeper understanding of the experiences of women in the academic world. This book is inclusive in nature, showcasing experiences from women who are scholars, students and higher education professionals.
The bookmakes a significant and unique contribution to the field of gender studies, with a focus on women negotiating life in the academic world and within the Canadian context. The evidence and insights shared here will benefit all scholars in women's studies and comparative studies, as well as those considering a career in higher education.
List of contents
Part 1: Why this book matters.- 1 Introduction.- Part 2: Our academic selves.- 2 Intergenerational feminism: Bringing my past into my future as a woman in the academy.- 3 Professional persistence: Portrait of a scholarly woman.- 4 Shared stories: Embracing collaborative leadership for wellbeing.- 5 Boots on the ground: Lived experiences of female academic leaders in higher education.- 6 Lucy in the sky with the diamonds: Superimposing c.v. line items on the "becoming" and "unbecoming" of two she academics.- 7 Professional identity: Creating stories in the academy.- 8 Betwixt and between: Navigating academia as a higher education professional.- 9 Negotiating the invisible maze as an academic professional.- Part 3: Negotiating roles and identities in addition to the academy.- 10 Looking back as a way to move forward: A narrative journey towards self.- 11 Driving to make change while being a constant: The unseen responsibilities of a doctoral student, mother, and more.- 12 Shaping love asexperience: Travelling within and across (academic) worlds as women of colour.- 13 Feeling the rhythms: On becoming mother with/in the academy.- 14 Storying the balancing act of academic leadership and family.- 15 Skating on thin ice: Balancing the life of a skating rink mom and scholar.- 16 Many irons in the fire: Balancing the expectations of others and self while pursuing professional goals.- 17 Increasing the visibility of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.- Part 4: Conclusion.- 18 Looking forward: Implications for the future of women in the academy.
About the author
Sarah Elaine Eaton, PhD, is a full-time faculty member at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. She has worked in post-secondary contexts in a variety of roles since 1994. Her research interests focus on higher education leadership, policy and governance, with specific expertise in applied ethics and integrity.
Amy Burns, PhD, is the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Programs in Education with the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary. She has worked extensively in both the K-12 public school system and in the post-secondary context. Her research interests focus on two main areas: feminist leadership in education and the role of leadership in pre-service teacher education.
