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To Stay or to Go? Narratives of Early-Stage Sociologists about Persisting in Academia

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Abstract

Based on analyzes of life course questionnaires, semi-structured qualitative interviews and focus group interviews carried out with early-stage sociologists over a period of 8 years, this paper presents analyzes of continuity and change in the decisions made by early-stage researchers in regard to their work and careers. The longitudinal approach reveals contradictions between repeatedly declared intentions to leave academia due to the high level of insecurity and continued applications for academic jobs. Personal narratives reveal the individual reasoning behind this contradiction, and four reasons for staying are analyzed. The attitudes that changed the most within the given period had to do with work–life balance and moving abroad. The ambivalence between thinking that one will have to leave academia and still hoping for a more stable position is connected to contradictory policies of academic institutions and unclear evaluation criteria, which foster hope and cause frustration at the same time.

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Notes

  1. Fachhochschulen might be translated as universities of applied arts and sciences. They rather focus on applied and professionally oriented education and do not offer the full range of academic disciplines.

  2. Interestingly, the often-described ‘glass ceiling’ for women in academia (e.g. de Cheveigné, 2008) not only exists in between assistants and professors, but also between Ph.D. and Habilitation: while there is a slight majority of female Ph.D. students (54%) and Ph.D. holders (52%), the number of women with a Habilitation is only about 35%. It seems that this further career step becomes an obstacle for female academics.

  3. This primary focus on an academic or research position differs from findings by Mitterauer et al. (2008, 154), who estimate that among all Ph.D. students at the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Vienna, only a minority is interested in an academic career. The difference is probably due to the selection of respondents: while Mitterauer et al., focus on Ph.D. students generally, I focus on ESRs — among them a few Ph.D. students at the same university faculty — who have already started an academic and research career at their departments.

  4. A lot of research indicates that this is even more difficult for women who tend to have more responsibility for children and elder persons to care for than their male colleagues (e.g. Probert, 2004). I could not elaborate on this gender aspect, because the only two ESRs with children were women. What I could confirm is the high number of childless women in academia — not only among ESRs, but among all researchers in the sample.

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Acknowledgements

I thank my colleagues Ulrike Felt and Lisa Sigl at the Department of Science and Technology Studies of the University of Vienna, who worked on parts of the analysed data with me. I am grateful to all my interview partners, who shared their experiences and ideas with me. I also thank Tereza Stöckelová, Wiebke Keim, Lisa Sigl and two anonymous reviewers who commented on an earlier version of this paper.

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  1. Department of Sociology, University of Freiburg, Hansastraße 9, Freiburg, 79104, Austria

    Veronika Wöhrer

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Wöhrer, V. To Stay or to Go? Narratives of Early-Stage Sociologists about Persisting in Academia. High Educ Policy 27, 469–487 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1057/hep.2014.22

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