Women in higher education : an analysis of narratives on gender in the workplace

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent to which women in higher educationexperience or are aware of possible limitations placed on them as women in work contextsthat historically were the domain of men only. The research critically analysed semistructuredinterview responses from seven female participants from a South Africanuniversity. The analysis aimed to investigate the participants' individual and sharedperceptions and to present a view of how they discursively construct their own experiencewithin an academic work environment.The research draws on theories and methodologies developed within critical discourseanalysis (CDA) in order to interpret the data. This study draws on Gee's model of CDA, whichconceptualises discourse as inherently political and ideological, and therefore seeks to makeclear the discursive connections between discourses and the sociocultural, historical andinstitutional contexts in which it is created and interpreted. Thus, a close analysis ofdiscourses provides insight into aspects of social reality, including how individuals constructthemselves and their personal experiences, as well as their attitudes and assumptions abouttheir social contexts.The study reveals that during their narratives the women participants addressed similarissues and themes relating to gender in an academic work place. The participants also usedsimilar linguistic and discursive strategies to construct their narratives. Subsequent to ananalysis of the data using Gee's model of CDA, it was found that the participants doexperience limitations in the workplace, but they did not always directly attribute theselimitations to gender. After a final analysis of the ways in which participants expressattitudes to the issues being addressed, the study finds that the participants are not oftenaware of dominant ideologies related to gender, or of how the ideologies affect theirexperiences.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University