Turbulent academic journey of female academics: a meta-synthesis

Abstract

Globally, only a small percentage of women hold full-time tenured faculty or leadership positions, and the attrition rate remains high. The reasons for the gender disparity were mostly presented quantitatively with little consideration in qualitative reviews. We seek to consolidate the qualitative evidence examining female academics’ experiences. Six electronic databases were searched from the inception date until October 2021. The included studies were assessed for quality using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool. The meta-synthesis was performed according to Sandelowski and Barroso’s guidelines. Fifty-nine articles were retrieved to identify three main themes: (1) Conflict between career and gender expectations in contemporary neoliberal society, (2) Barriers for females in academia, and (3) Effective strategies that kept female academics going. Our findings highlighted that women from different academic positions and fields often faced overlapping career challenges. Women frequently occupied temporary and contract-based positions and faced gender-biased challenges in promotions, mentoring, and networking opportunities. Current policies were limited to the needs of academic women, especially in work-life integration. With the coronavirus disease widening the gender gap in academia, change is timely to re-examine cultures and policies towards workplace discrimination.

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