Expected to be mother: Women’s experiences of taking on leadership roles in the academy

Abstract

For women academics, the gendered university places expectations not experienced by their male colleagues. In particular, scholarly literature includes many instances of expectations that female scholars, particularly those in management roles, will take on a motherly role within the academy. These occur even in female-dominated professions such as social work.  This paper identifies four groups within the university who expect women academics to adopt a mothering role: students, staff and colleagues, senior management, and in some instances women themselves. This paper draws together this literature in the hope that it brings into public some of the often covert expectations experienced by many female academics, and argues that gender equity cannot be achieved while expectations of mothering remain unrecognised.