551.2
At The Leading Edge – Does Gender Still Matter? A Qualitative Study On Successful Coping Strategies and Prevailing Obstacles In Academia. Analysing Female Careers In Austria
Although academic science in Austria is still male-dominated to a great extent, recent development evidences change especially in higher positions. Statistics on the Austrian setting show that the share of female scientists at upper levels of the career ladder is shifting slightly but steadily. This article deals with explanations for this development and analyses crucial biographical phases of female academic careers in leading positions. For this reason, the paper focuses on three key research questions: Which obstacles hinder successful female careers? How do successful female scientists overcome these obstacles and which long-term strategies are used to acquire or hold leading positions? The findings are based on eleven qualitative interviews with the most successful female scholars in Austria (i.e. rectors and vice-rectors). The findings are arranged in three sections: (1) The results emphasise obstacles impeding female scientific careers. The analysis reveals that informal encounters, (male-dominated) social networks and the requirement both to be geographically mobile and to handle family issues at the same time are important obstacles. (2) The analysis concentrates on the underlying mechanisms in terms of how successfully female scientists manage to overcome these obstacles. With regard to informal encounters, it appears to be important to keep the distance from one’s environment, while pursuit of change can be seen as a crucial mechanism in terms of coping with the negative effects of (male-dominated) networks. Planning and organisational skills are decisive in conciliating geographic mobility and family obligations. (3) Finally, this paper elaborates on different long-term strategies applied by women in order to achieve leading positions.