On the road again: travel challenges for women working in regional universities

Researchers from two regional Australian universities shared data to examine how working in regional universities with dispersed campuses impacted on women’s career progression. The aim of this project was to identify and examine any specific challenges women working in regional universities faced, as opposed to the issues that might be encountered by their urban counterparts. In these studies, women were invited to provide written responses to a series of questions that explored challenges to and enablers in their career progression. After common themes were analysed and coded, the findings were shared. A key theme of both studies was that while they enjoyed regional living, most women experienced challenges in managing travel requirements due to dispersed campuses and their non-work responsibilities as carers; this included financial cost, time lost for work and family responsibilities, and the physical and psychological impact of travel.