Women Negotiating Life in the Academy : A Canadian Perspective

"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 book makes 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."-- Provided by publisher Preface: Insights into Women Negotiating Life in the Academy—A Canadian Perspective 5 References 8 Acknowledgements 9 Contents 11 Editors and Contributors 13 Our Academic Selves 15 Bringing My Past into My Future as a Woman in the Academy 16 A Statement of Feminist Belief 17 Narrative 1: Evolutionary Feminism 19 Narrative 2: Activist Feminism 21 Narrative 3: Generational Feminism 22 My Role in the Academy 23 The Path Forward 25 References 26 Challenging and Critiquing Notions of Servant Leadership: Lessons from My Mother 28 Formative Experience 29 Servant Leadership Reconsidered 31 My Life as a Scholar 34 References 35 Her Stories 37 References 43 Mentoring as Support for Women in Higher Education Leadership 45 Introduction 45 Literature Review 46 A Brief Overview of Contemporary Leadership 46 Leadership Development Programs: From Competencies to Contextual 47 Mentoring and Its Role in Leadership Development 48 Gender and Leadership in Universities 49 Programs, Mentoring, and Female Leadership in Universities 50 Theoretical Frameworks 51 People, Processes, and Themes 51 Who and How 51 The Themes 52 More About What We Learned 52 Discussion 54 Final Thoughts 57 References 58 The Surprisingly Empty Feeling of Getting Full: Contemplations on the Contradictory Nature of Full Professorship—Margaret Kovach/Bonnie Stelmach 62 (W)here We Are 62 Becoming and (Un)Becoming 64 Borderlands: Where We Find Ourselves 65 Beyond Achievement, A Second Mountain 66 Letters from the Shift 67 Postscript: Non-conclusion 74 References 75 Professional Identity: Creating Stories in the Academy 77 Identity and Place 79 Identity and Temporality 81 Identity and Sociality 82 Concluding Thoughts 84 References 85 Betwixt and Between: Navigating Academia as a First-Generation Student and Higher Education Professional 88 First-Generation University Student 88 Student Affairs: “Separate and Unequal” 91 Working in the Third Space 93 Conclusion 95 References 96 Negotiating the Invisible Maze as an Academic Professional 98 Work of an Academic Professional 100 A Contested Space 103 A Feminized Space 105 Conclusion 106 References 106 First Wave, Second Wave, Third Wave: Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 109 Introduction 110 Design, Against the Odds—Contributed by Laleh Behjat, Computer Engineering 111 Disguise, the Prodigy Femme Savant—Contributed by Kristine Bauer, Pure Mathematics 113 Denial, Mother of the Bomb—Contributed by Jo-Anne Brown, Physics and Astronomy 114 Advocacy, Queen of Hurricanes—Contributed by Jocelyn Hayley, Civil Engineering 116 Advancements, Amazing Grace—Contributed by Marina Gavrilova, Computer Science 117 Looking Ahead, Call to Action—Contributed by Emily Marasco, Electrical Engineering 119 References 121 Negotiating Roles and Identities in Addition to the Academy 124 Looking Back While Moving Forward: A Narrative Journey Toward Self 125 Introduction 125 Life as a Full-Time Student 127 Toward Transformation 128 Healing Through Learning 129 Lessons Learned 130 Transformative Understanding of Indigenous Resilience 132 Challenging Deficits 133 Conclusion 134 References 134 Driving: The Unseen Responsibilities of a Doctoral Student, Mother, and More 137 Navigating Geographic and Academic Terrains 137 Making High-Speed Lane Changes, while Sitting Still 139 Travelling in Someone Else’s Blindspot 140 Taking in the World at 110+ km/h: A Fast Pace, Juxtaposed Against Slow-Moving Scenery 141 Pulling into the Driveway 146 Looking in the Review Mirror 146 Travel Time and Time Travel 148 The Check Engine Light Is on 148 References 150 Shaping Love as Experience: Travelling Within and Across (Academic) Worlds as Women of Colour 152 Hiroko: Embracing Multiplicity as My Integrity 154 Muna: A Lifetime of (Painful) Storied Moments 156 Moment 1 156 Moment 2 157 Moment 3 158 Jinny: Colouring Experiences 159 You Walk into a Room Assigned for You and Fellow Presenters 159 Presenting in Academic Worlds 160 Speaking About Your Research to (Un)Familiar Colleagues 160 You Are Sitting at a Table with Colleagues and the Conversation Takes an Abrupt Turn 160 You and Your (Academic) Work Have Been Shaped in Nuanced Ways 161 Shaping Love as Experience 161 References 163 Becoming a Mother in the Academy: A Letter to My Children 165 Coming to Terms with Motherhood and Academia 167 Configuring Mothers, Motherhood, and Mothering 168 Temporalities of Mothering on the Tenure Track 170 Towards Assembling Motherhood and Academia 172 Coda 174 References 175 Gendered Inequities in the Academy 178 Women in Academy 184 References 185 Trapped Between the Expectations of Others and Self and the Search for Balance and Freedom 188 Introduction 188 Disappointing First Day 189 Growing Up Mennonite 190 Education as an Escape 192 Road to Academia 194 Academic Goals 195 Conclusions 196 References 197 Postscript: Conclusions Drawn from the Exercise of Writing a Book 201 It Was Fun to Write but Harder Than I Expected 201 Won’t It Be All the Same? 202 Reference 203 "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 book makes 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." -- prové de l'editor