Belonging, Gender and Identity in the Doctoral Years

"Despite years of recognition of leaky pipelines and glass ceilings, women doctoral researchers still face a myriad of obstacles. Given old barriers and new uncertainties, a fragile balance of probabilities predicts whether these scholars have either the opportunity or the desire to enter a post-PhD academic career. Creating a framework based on the compelling concept of belonging, Rachel Handforth produces a refreshingly original analysis of the narratives of women in three broad and contrasting subject fields who are struggling to feel at home in the academy."

- Sandra Acker, Professor Emerita, Department of Social Justice Education, University of Toronto, Canada

This book uses belonging as a lens through which to understand women students’ experiences of studying for a doctorate, exploring the impact of academic cultures on career aspirations. Drawing on discourses of neoliberalism and academic identities, it makes a valuable contribution to ongoing discussions of gender inequality in the academy. Based on data gathered from women doctoral students in the UK, this book offers a contemporary, research-informed understanding of the doctorate as an inherently gendered experience, which has implications for individuals, academic institutions, and for the future of the academic sector.

The book will be of interest to academics working in the area of doctoral education, doctoral supervisors and those involved in doctoral student support, including researcher developers and individuals working in graduate schools, as well as doctoral students themselves.

Dr. Rachel Handforth is currently Research and Evaluation Project Manager at the Careers Research and Advisory Centre and works on the Vitae programme. She is also an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University, UK.