Becoming an academic – A comparative perspective on early-career women researchers’ experiences in Austrian and US higher education

This is a Global Public Seminar in Comparative and International Education webinar, co-hosted with CGHE.

Processes of identity formation of early-career researchers (ECRs) has been impacted by the neoliberal restructuring of academia worldwide. This is especially acute for women and female-read bodies. This talk will, first, discuss gender-related inequalities in the academy, which will be illustrated by comparing two countries: The United States and Austria. These countries were selected due to their differences of career structures in the pathways to professorship, but similarities in gender inequalities in the academy. Second, this talk will shed light on processes of ‘academic identity crafting’ based on a small sample of interviews with ECRs in the selected countries. Findings show that challenges of academic identity crafting are related to the neoliberal influence on the academy as well as the perceived absence of role models and mentors. The talk will conclude with reflections on how higher education institutions can better support early-career women researchers in crafting their academic identities.