Career paths and working conditions for gender studies PhD graduates and gender researchers

Abstract

The interdisciplinary subject area of gender studies has emerged from engagement with integrated gender research. In a discipline-oriented higher education sector, this poses particular challenges for both gender researchers and gender studies PhD graduates (genusvetare) educated in Sweden, especially when it comes to planning their postdoc¬toral careers. In addition, the institutionalisation of gender studies has occurred during a period marked by structural changes in the higher education sector. A starting point for this report is that the concept of career paths in research policy must be understood in light of the working conditions in the higher education sector. The aim of this re¬port is to examine how individual gender studies PhD graduates and gender research¬ers educated in Sweden acquire qualifications in accordance with a normative career structure after graduation.

1. Where do gender studies PhD graduates and gender researchers work after graduation? 2. What are the career paths like for these two groups in terms of access to career development positions, permanent employment, and mobility opportunities? 3. What kind of institutional support is there for gender studies PhD graduates’ career development? 4. What is the working environment like for gender studies PhD graduates and gender researchers? 5. How do gender studies PhD graduates and gender researchers relate to the sector’s disciplinary structure?

The analyses in this report are based on data from two surveys: one sent to gender studies PhD graduates, and one sent to a sample of gender researchers, in December 2021; and two focus group interviews with researchers from these two groups, held in autumn 2022.