Academic Women’s Experiences in Higher Education: Navigations, Negotiations and Relationships on Contested Ground

Abstract Recent research shows that there is a significant gender pay gap in academia in New Zealand, with women earning less than men throughout their careers. This pay gap is also highly ethnicised as Māori and Pacific academics earn less than their Pākehā counterparts and are poorly represented in the academic ranks, especially at more senior levels of the profession. Surviving and thriving as a woman academic today requires a range of strategies that will help them navigate power dynamics in their work environments.

Women’s experiences in academic contexts have proven to be fruitful in identifying possible strategies that can be used to navigate these spaces. This qualitative study takes a feminist approach to understanding how women experience academia in New Zealand. Using semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with 14 women located in a range of higher education settings, I conducted an in-depth exploration of their academic life worlds. Data were analysed thematically and further informed by reflections drawn from my research journal. A unique set of strategies was identified in this study, namely, mauri tau, keep your head down, belonging/ connection and resistance strategies. Based on these strategies, a framework was developed to assist other women academics as they navigate intersections of power, identities and positioning in academia and change and adapt to deal with the dynamics present.