Paper short abstract:

The paper draws on science studies approaches to develop an action-oriented understanding of the role of head of departments and their scientific leadership in engaging with gender balance issues among scientific staff.

Paper long abstract:

Gender balance problems in science tend to be understood as structural, focusing on issues like gender stereotypes, "leaking pipeline", and gender attributions. In this paper, draw on an action-oriented inclusion perspective (Sørensen, Faulkner, and Rommes 2011) to investigate the commitment to gender balance among heads of departments and their preferred strategies of addressing the issue. Furthermore, in line with this, we contribute to the gender in science literature by exploring local theories of gender balance dynamics.

There has been a strong focus on management as significant for achieving the goal of improving gender balance in senior positions in academia (see Dahlerup 2010; Rustad and Ericsson, 2010). This is also reflected in the action plan for gender balance (2014-2016) of the university we study, which states that: "Committed leadership and targeted measures are necessary in pursuit of a gender balanced university." Meanwhile, it is well known that epistemic cultures are not easily controlled top-down (see for example Pfister, 2009; Knorr Cetina 1999). Thus, becomes crucial to explore how gender balance issues are considered and enacted among university head of departments?

The analysis is based on data from a survey of heads of departments. The survey was designed to study their attitudes and initiatives concerning gender balance, and to illuminate perceptions of causes and effects of gender balance. Above all, the survey shows large diversity in the level of engagement among heads of departments. Also, findings suggest that many head of departments have gender balance low on their list of challenges.