Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/239798 
Year of Publication: 
2017
Citation: 
[Journal:] Administrative Sciences [ISSN:] 2076-3387 [Volume:] 7 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] MDPI [Place:] Basel [Year:] 2017 [Pages:] 1-14
Publisher: 
MDPI, Basel
Abstract: 
This article is concerned with the implications of casual, non-permanent forms of employment that have become a common cultural practice in higher education. It proposes that contractual terms of employment have important implications for women and leadership in higher education, since to pursue leadership, usually one must first gain permanency in an organization, in contractual terms. Based on an autoethnographic study by a female academic in a UK higher education institution, the article illustrates that temporary forms of employment, should they be protracted, can stifle leadership aspirations due to lack of career progression opportunities and lead to a sense of alienation from the target community of practice, and even to personal difficulties, such as feelings of isolation and poor self-esteem. The article discusses theoretical and practical implications for women's leadership arising from the findings and makes recommendations for improvements in practice in the higher education sector. The findings and recommendations from this study will also be relevant to other organizational contexts where casual or temporary, fixed term, zero-hours non-permanent forms of employment are common.
Subjects: 
autoethnography
higher education
women
leadership
identity
habitus
communities of practice
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Appears in Collections:

Files in This Item:
File
Size





Items in EconStor are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.