Many women struggle to move up the career ladder. Women aspiring to executive positions in community colleges within the United States may face gender barriers, family-work life barriers, and barriers regarding their leadership ability. The problem studied was a gap in knowledge of how women succeeded in attaining executive positions in community colleges. The purpose of this study was to examine ways that female leaders at Southern California community colleges assumed executive-level roles at their institutions and the barriers they faced to attain those positions . The theory of upward mobility and the concept of self-efficacy comprised the study's conceptual framework. The research questions in this qualitative case study focused on barriers to women's upward mobility and ways that women overcame these barriers. Face-to-face structured interviews were conducted with a purposeful sample of 12 women who held positions of vice president or above at 8 Southern California community colleges within 2 counties. Interview data were coded using clustering and classification and resulted in 3 themes per research question. The results suggested that executive leaders must demonstrate communication savviness to address difficult situations, engage in active information searching and empower others through helpful communication. Findings of the study suggest formal mentorship was crucial for women in their quest for leadership roles. Prospective female leaders in higher education may be able to use the study results in navigating their careers. Positive social change may result with the greater visibility of women in executive leadership roles, thereby leading to reduced gender disparities and women achieving their highest potential in the workplace.

The paucity of women in senior leadership positions as indicated in the Business Women Association of South Africa 2011 census corroborates that gender equality is still a concerning issue even in the democratic era that we live in. This study explores career developmental experiences of women in senior leadership position in the civil engineering industry. The primary objective was to investigate how these professional women were managing their careers and what career experiences contributed to their ascent to the senior echelons of management. Meaning to the career experiences of these women had been given according to the self-determination theory. By means of purposive selection, seven women at senior management level were selected from both the private and public sectors in the civil engineering industry. Based on the semi-structured interviews conducted, personal documents reviewed and footnotes recorded; it was evident that there were different factors that had facilitated the ascent of these women to senior positions. Their career experiences were also characterised by challenges that subsequently instigated the development of coping strategies and methods. The study has implications for organisations in civil engineering that wish to attract and retain women from generations to come. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

The paucity of women in senior leadership positions as indicated in the Business Women Association of South Africa 2011 census corroborates that gender equality is still a concerning issue even in the democratic era that we live in. This study explores career developmental experiences of women in senior leadership position in the civil engineering industry. The primary objective was to investigate how these professional women were managing their careers and what career experiences contributed to their ascent to the senior echelons of management. Meaning to the career experiences of these women had been given according to the self-determination theory. By means of purposive selection, seven women at senior management level were selected from both the private and public sectors in the civil engineering industry. Based on the semi-structured interviews conducted, personal documents reviewed and footnotes recorded; it was evident that there were different factors that had facilitated the ascent of these women to senior positions. Their career experiences were also characterised by challenges that subsequently instigated the development of coping strategies and methods. The study has implications for organisations in civil engineering that wish to attract and retain women from generations to come. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)

Made available in DSpace on 2011-05-04T12:36:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009 / O objetivo desta dissertação consiste em investigar o processo de construção da identidade profissional de médicos que se dedicam à assistência a pacientes que apresentam doenças progressivas e ameaçadoras da continuidade existencial e que têm contribuído para o desenvolvimento dos Cuidados Paliativos no Brasil. Buscamos conhecer a trajetória profissional destes médicos desde a escolha da medicina como profissão até o encontro com a filosofia e a prática dos Cuidados Paliativos. Com este intuito, realizamos entrevistas semiestruturadas,colhidas segundo a metodologia de História Oral de Vida. Foram entrevistados seis médicos de diferentes especialidades que ocupam cargos diretivos em uma das associações profissionais voltadas para a disseminação e legitimação política e social dos Cuidados Paliativos no Brasil. Os depoentes se destacam no cenário nacional no que diz respeito às discussões sobre esta temática e mantêm contato com importantes instituições internacionais. Por esta razão, chamamos o conjunto de entrevistados de elite médica paliativista. Percebemos uma pobre interlocução entre os médicos paliativistas, o que se reflete na ausência de uma identidade integrada desse grupo profissional. Os entrevistados acentuaram as competências humanitárias necessárias ao bom exercício da Medicina Paliativa, mas, no entanto, não foram explicitadas as competências específicas a este campo profissional, que justificariam seu reconhecimento pelas entidades médicas competentes comouma nova área de atuação ou especialidade.