Gendered Cultures in Context

This chapter focuses on women’s perceptions of the dominant culture and practices of their workplaces, with a particular focus on gender equality and the potential impacts that context may have on their work experiences. How women work in the HE sector is an important consideration for understanding the findings presented in other chapters of the book. In the analysis, we include a discussion of the national, institutional and disciplinary contexts in the study. Potential impacts of institutional engagement with the Athena Swan charter on the experiences of women working in HE appear to be limited. Higher education as a sector is experienced as unsupportive, being in professional services is perceived as de facto career limiting, and different departments/disciplines have somewhat distinct work cultures. Perceptions of gender (in)equality tended to be more negative for women working in Ireland, especially the Republic. Movement between different national, institutional and departmental contexts afforded the participants in the study insight into how organisational culture varied and the consequences it had for them individually in terms of their career. The analysis also reveals women’s perceptions of performative aspects of gender equality work that HEIs engage in.