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Reasons for Leaving the Academy: a Case Study on the ‘Opt Out’ Phenomenon among Younger Female Researchers

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  • Mathias Wullum Nielsen

Abstract

This study provides a contemporary case for exploring the assumed ‘opt out’ phenomenon among early‐career female researchers. Based on rich data from a Danish case study, we adopt an integrated, holistic perspective on women's reasons for leaving the academy. We propose the concept of ‘adaptive decision‐making’ as a useful analytical starting point for synthesizing structure‐ and agency‐centred perspectives on academic career choices. Our study provides new insights into the myriad of structural and cultural conditions circumscribing the career ambitions and expectations of younger female (and male) researchers, at a critical transition point epitomized by high demands for scholarly productivity, international mobility and accumulation of social capital. Located within the context of Danish higher education, our study also adds to the current discussion of why academic gender stratifications persist in a country renowned for its leading international position on issues of societal gender equality.

Suggested Citation

  • Mathias Wullum Nielsen, 2017. "Reasons for Leaving the Academy: a Case Study on the ‘Opt Out’ Phenomenon among Younger Female Researchers," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 24(2), pages 134-155, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:gender:v:24:y:2017:i:2:p:134-155
    DOI: 10.1111/gwao.12151
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marieke Brink & Yvonne Benschop, 2014. "Gender in Academic Networking: The Role of Gatekeepers in Professorial Recruitment," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 51(3), pages 460-492, May.
    2. Joyce K. Fletcher, 2001. "Disappearing Acts: Gender, Power, and Relational Practice at Work," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262561409, December.
    3. Cathrine Seierstad & Geraldine Healy, 2012. "Women’s equality in the Scandinavian academy: a distant dream?," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 26(2), pages 296-313, April.
    4. Ronda Callister, 2006. "The Impact of Gender and Department Climate on Job Satisfaction and Intentions to Quit for Faculty in Science and Engineering Fields," The Journal of Technology Transfer, Springer, vol. 31(3), pages 367-375, May.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Mariam Mohsin & Jawad Syed, 2020. "The missing doctors — An analysis of educated women and female domesticity in Pakistan," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1077-1102, November.
    4. Katherine Doerr, 2024. "“Flying under the radar”: Postfeminism and teaching in academic science," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 710-726, May.
    5. Ea Høg Utoft, 2021. "Maneuvering within postfeminism: A study of gender equality practitioners in Danish academia," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(1), pages 301-317, January.
    6. Maria Pietilä & Ida Drange & Charlotte Silander & Agnete Vabø, 2021. "Gender and Globalization of Academic Labor Markets: Research and Teaching Staff at Nordic Universities," Social Inclusion, Cogitatio Press, vol. 9(3), pages 69-80.
    7. Ea Høg Utoft, 2020. "‘All the single ladies’ as the ideal academic during times of COVID‐19?," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(5), pages 778-787, September.
    8. Anke Strauβ & Ilaria Boncori, 2020. "Foreign women in academia: Double‐strangers between productivity, marginalization and resistance," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(6), pages 1004-1019, November.

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