Barbara Myers

“The big OE”: self‐directed travel and career development

“OE” is overseas experience – periods of “working holiday” undertaken by young people autonomously exploring other countries and cultures. This paper investigates OE and considers its effect on career development. OE is a world‐wide phenomenon, but has special significance in Australia and New Zealand, where it is undertaken as a “rite of passage” by many young people. The paper reports results from an interview study of 50 OEs undertaken by young New Zealanders. It focuses on predisposing personal and situational factors prompting OE, the unplanned and improvisational nature of OE, the main forms of OE, and its apparent consequences for personal development and subsequent careers. The evidence suggests that OE brings benefits but that the process is complex and unpredictable because of confounding forces such as non‐career travel agendas and personal relationships. The special value of OE to careers in current conditions requiring greater self‐direction, flexibility and internationalisation is emphasised.

Glass slippers, Holy Grails and Ivory Towers: gender and advancement in academia

Australasia, as with other western countries, has experienced gender differentials in the advancement of women through academia. Some of the barriers to advancement that have been identified in the literature include unconscious attitudes towards work organisation and the value of work performed by men and women. Further, concepts of ‘meritocracy’ may in fact hide gender discrimination and also obscure the role of informal networks in disseminating information and knowledge that privilege some groups over others in the appointment processes. This article draws on in-depth interviews with 32 male and female research active academics across all faculties of a New Zealand university. This article uses the metaphor of fairy tales to explore and explain gendered experiences of academic advancement. The use of a different context to analyse our findings not only protects the anonymity of participants, but uncovers assumptions of work and merit in academic advancement.

Self-initiated expatriation (SIE) by older women: an exploratory study

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the SIE experiences of women over 50, its drivers, nature and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach The paper draws on participant data from in-depth life story interviews with 21 women who had undertaken SIE from New Zealand and later returned. From this sample two subgroups (aid volunteers and contract carers) are utilized as “vignette” exemplars, and common factors elicited. Findings SIE provided a desirable liberation from pressing mid-life issues. It was transformational for all participants, sometimes through serendipitous career development, but more commonly, after return, through personal development, changes in values, decreased emphasis on paid work, and simpler lifestyle. Research limitations/implications The small sample size and qualitative methodology make the study exploratory rather than definitive and the specific location and small sample size limit transferability. The snowballing recruitment method may have disproportionately encouraged similar, and positively disposed, participants. Practical implications The availability and special characteristics of this expatriate and repatriate group for potential employing organizations are considered, as are the gains in human capital and individual well-being to society as a whole. The women studied provide excellent role models for older women considering independent overseas travel and employment. Originality/value By focusing on older women, this study extends the boundaries of the SIE literature. The findings highlight the limitations of work-centric theories of SIE, careers and older workers, the non-linear nature of women’s careers and the heterogeneity of later life pathways. The study is also original in demonstrating major positive transformational effects of expatriation on all its participants.

Academic careers and parenting: identity, performance and surveillance

ABSTRACT This paper explores the experiences and perceptions of parent academics and their colleagues, and argues that in the absence of institutional support and guidance, self and peer assessment of academic identity in relation to performance becomes a measure against which academics assess their own academic careers and the academic careers of others. The context of the study is contemporary neoliberal academia in which competition is encouraged, driving individuals to actively self-manage their own academic careers. In-depth interviews were conducted with 32 senior lecturers and associate professors, both parents and non-parents. Three distinct social identity groups were found among the participants: those who placed parenthood ahead of their career; parents who performed ‘despite’ their children, and a third group of ‘surveillers’ of other academic parents and their careers. Perceptions of parenthood as detrimental to academic careers was enforced through these identity groups, particularly the ‘surveillance’ of academic parents by their colleagues.

Professional insights: reflections from EDI conferences - consistency and change

Purpose – Rich research discussion that occurs at conferences is rarely made accessible after the event. This paper aims to report on two “equality diversity and inclusion” (EDI) conferences held in Auckland, New Zealand, in 2008 and 2011. It summarises, compares and contrasts the processes and content of the conferences as well as identifying research trends and suggesting future research directions.Design/methodology/approach – Text from the abstracts and transcribed audio recordings of conference discussions and presentations were analysed for similarities and differences. Two of the authors completed individual analyses of each of the conferences before reaching consensus on the overall themes.Findings – Enduring EDI concerns over the two conferences were: identity, change practices and context. At the 2008 conference, three linked categories permeated discussion: methodologies, identity and practices for effective change. Over the intervening three years, research volume grew and differentiated into ...