Yes / This paper aims to seek to contribute to current debates about the effectiveness of different types of gender equality interventions in the academic context. This paper presents an argument for the need to move beyond an individual-structural dichotomy in how such interventions are perceived. The paper draws on an action-research case-study, the Through the Glass Ceiling project, to challenge the idea that “individual”/single-actor interventions serve only to reinforce underlying inequalities by attempting to “fix the women”.It is suggested that actions that support women in their careers have the potential to achieve a degree of transformation at individual, cultural and structural levels when such actions are designed with an understanding of how individuals embody the gendered and gendering social structures and values that are constantly being produced and reproduced within society and academia. The case study highlights the benefits of supporting individuals as gendered actors in gendering institutions and of facilitating the development of critical gender awareness, suggesting that such interventions are most effective when undertaken as part of an integrated institutional equality agenda. By calling attention to the ongoing mutual construction of actors and practices in organizations, this paper seeks to make both a conceptual contribution to how we understand the (re)production and potential transformation of gender relations in academia and to influence wider policy dialogues on diversity at work. / FP7

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The Career and Technical Center in Coalfield County School Division (pseudonym) has maintained a history of student enrollment in career and technical education (CTE) courses and programs that are traditional by gender. That history has changed very little over the years, and students, both male and female, continue to enroll in CTE courses at the career center that are traditional for their gender. This trend persists despite Virginia Department of Education support for non-traditional enrollment and Carl D. Perkins Act legislation which encourages non-traditional enrollment in CTE. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the perceptions of students, parents, teachers, administrators and counselors about student enrollment at the career center in CTE courses that are non-traditional. Through the use of individual interviews, the researcher gathered information from participants regarding their perceptions about barriers to non-traditional enrollment in CTE and also obtained participants' ideas about strategies for increasing non-traditional enrollment in CTE courses, courses that have the potential to positively impact students' career opportunities along with successful entrance into the work force. The results of this research will be shared with the school division as a potential resource for increasing non-traditional enrollment in CTE courses and programs at the career center. / Doctor of Philosophy / The Career and Technical Center in Coalfield County School Division (pseudonym) has maintained a history of student enrollment in career and technical education (CTE) courses and programs that are traditional by gender. That history has changed very little over the years, and students, both male and female, continue to enroll in CTE courses at the career center that are traditional for their gender. This trend persists despite Virginia Department of Education support for non-traditional enrollment and Carl D. Perkins Acts legislation which encourages nontraditional enrollment in CTE. The purpose of this qualitative research was to explore the perceptions of students, parents, teachers, administrators and counselors about student enrollment at the career center in CTE courses that are non-traditional. Through the use of individual interviews, the researcher gathered information from participants regarding their perceptions about barriers to nontraditional enrollment in CTE and also obtained participants’ ideas about strategies for increasing non-traditional enrollment in CTE courses, courses that have the potential to positively impact students’ career opportunities along with successful entrance into the work force. The results of this research will be shared with the school division as a potential resource for increasing nontraditional enrollment in CTE courses and programs at the career center.

No / Within the academic career literature, disabled academics are under-researched, despite calls for career theory development through the exploration of marginalized groups' career experiences and the boundaries which shape these experiences. Here, boundaries refer to the symbolic resources which become reified to construct social boundaries shaping what is and is not possible in career contexts. This article contributes to the advancement of academic career theory by enabling insights into impairment effects as an embodied career boundary for disabled academics and outlining how experiences of impairment effects and disabled academics' agency are entangled with their career context and organizational members' responses. Impairment effects shape career choices and opportunities, by being negated, and/or influencing expectations of employers to provide inclusive contexts which acknowledge impairment effects as a legitimate organizing principle. However this recognition of impairment as a legitimate organizing principle is not always reciprocated, with implications for disabled academics' careers.

yes / Studies of graduate destinations generally report positive outcomes for working-class graduates, particularly professionally validated programmes such as pharmacy or social work, which offer specific career pathways. However, I know of working-class graduates with good degrees from good institutions who are in relatively menial positions in the leisure and retail sector. It is as if such students are unable to move beyond working-class jobs and embrace the middle-class careers that a degree should unlock. / This section of the article 'Can I succeed as a working-class academic?' is reproduced here in line with the publisher's copyright restrictions.

The purpose of this study was to determine if students with special needs participating in an inclusive classroom can learn the skills related to a STEM career as compared to the general student population. The study involved seventh grade students from two rural middle schools in north central Texas and was framed through a constructivist lens using a quasi-experimental design with a convenience sample. The Solenoid Invention Kit Assessment and the STEM Semantics Survey used in this study were used from a previously large existing dataset from a grant funded by the National Science Foundation for Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers. Findings suggested that there were no significant differences between the general student population and students with special needs. However, STEM coursework in an inclusive classroom may impact students' decision to pursue STEM careers.

China is growing as an economic power leading to more and more foreign organizations taking the opportunity of its future potential and hence opening up their subsidies there. Companies nowadays, have several options when it comes to what type of workforce they should recruit. Self-Initiated Expatriates (SIEs) are a growing group in the international workforce who goes to work in another country on their own initiative as compared to the traditional expatriates that are sent by companies. Our literature research indicated that SIEs are perceived as a group of people who lack organizational commitment and tend to switch jobs often, which makes organizations reluctant to employ and invest in them.Inspired by this, we have a performed a study, which investigated SIEs’ experiences in China. The purpose of the study was to develop recommendations for organizations on how to better leverage SIEs as human resource. To fulfill the purpose of our thesis, we conducted a qualitative study, where we interviewed ten Westerners who currently had a job or previously had been employed in China. Our empirical findings revealed that SIEs perceive themselves as developing better cross-cultural skills and improving their language proficiency more than traditional expatriates as well as being much cheaper to employ. They do however need challenges, freedom and career development possibilities in order to stay satisfied. The failure to provide these from the company side results in them quitting their job or if the costs of quitting are too high, they stay on but performing only what they absolutely have to. As for the existing definitions, we found that a definition that only includes individuals with clear plans of return is not suitable since some SIEs have a “for now” mindset and only considering SIEs who intend to leave in the near future might lead to an overrepresentation of “failed” SIEs in the population. A more suitable definition should allow for less definite plans for staying in the host country.

The objective of the present study was to explore whether individuals' career anchors are dependent on their personality types. The Career Orientation Inventory (COI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) were administered to a sample of honours students in the subject field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology in order to measure the relationship between the two constructs. For statistical purposes only the female participants were included in the final sample analysis (N=117) because of the underrepresentation of males. Statistically significant differences were established with regard to the security/stability career anchor and the ESFJ, ENFP, ESFP and INFP personality types. It is recommended that future studies include larger samples that are more representative of all possible sixteen (16) personality types and a broader range of occupations. The findings contribute new knowledge regarding the career anchors and personality preferences of females pursuing further studies in the field of IO-Psychology. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

The objective of the present study was to explore whether individuals' career anchors are dependent on their personality types. The Career Orientation Inventory (COI) and the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) were administered to a sample of honours students in the subject field of Industrial and Organisational Psychology in order to measure the relationship between the two constructs. For statistical purposes only the female participants were included in the final sample analysis (N=117) because of the underrepresentation of males. Statistically significant differences were established with regard to the security/stability career anchor and the ESFJ, ENFP, ESFP and INFP personality types. It is recommended that future studies include larger samples that are more representative of all possible sixteen (16) personality types and a broader range of occupations. The findings contribute new knowledge regarding the career anchors and personality preferences of females pursuing further studies in the field of IO-Psychology. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of female senior managers in technology organizations and understand how they feel about themselves, their roles and their technology organizations. The study highlights the issues faced by women working in a gendered role, a masculine industry and a non-western, strong patriarchal society. Methodology/Design: A qualitative research methodology was adopted for this study. Eleven semi-structured interviews were used to collect empirical data from women senior managers in Nigerian technology organizations, which was thematically analyzed. Findings: The findings from this study indicate that women in technology are no longer reluctant to progress in this gendered career. Women technology leaders are ambitious and driven to scale the semantic barriers to top management roles. They experience workplace discrimination, insecurities and work-family conflicts, but do not punish themselves for sometimes dropping the ball. Rather, they show up to take on daunting assignments that prove their competence and choose to lead assertively in order to align their core values with the expectations of their role. Research Implications: This thesis makes a contribution to the wider literature on women leaders in technology by providing new insights on the role of patriarchal institutions in technology leadership, from a developing country in Africa. Practical Implications: Practical contributions are to support aspiring women in technology to fine-tune their leadership strategies in order to succeed in this gendered career and become beneficiaries of the vast opportunities in this dynamic industry. For technology organizations, to understand the issues faced by women leaders so that they can support women’s career aspirations by implementing and managing policies that support skilled and high-potential women employees to fulfill their career aspirations, and become change agents at the top management level. These efforts will disrupt stereotypes, change the narrative of inequalities in this industry and improve firm performance. Originality: This study is the first of its kind to focus on the role of patriarchal structures on women leaders’ careers in the technology industry within the context of an African society, which is rare in the literature on women leaders in technology.