Being “In and Out”: Providing Voice to Early Career Women in Academia

Book excerpt: This book is about a network of women who as a collective and individuals can share their stories to indeed help themselves as well as others. Our stories as¬sist in the telling and retelling of important events. Reflecting on these events allow the ‘processing’, ‘figuring out’ and ‘inquiring’, leading to behavioural actions to change situations. The fact that we are women unites us as we have common elements with our roles both within academia, in our families, and in society. The women in this study share their narratives in an open dialogue. Their journey into and out of academia is constructed from “a metaphorical three-dimensional inquiry space” (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000, p. 50). The space enables the authors to capture and communicate the emotional nature of lived experiences (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). The self-studies explore the changes in social and contextual approaches that are attached to working and studying in higher education. The book provides a narrative of the “ups” and “downs” that female academics have individually and collectively encountered while moving “in” and “out” of academia. Making these stories known establishes a sense of collaboration and com¬munity. This action serves to perpetuate and further develop the established pedagogy and look to improve practice. A community practice seeks to locate the learning in the process of co-participation (building social capital) and not just within individuals (Hanks, 1991). It allows females to come together to share experience and discuss ways forward.