The precarity of women’s academic work and careers during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cyrill Walters; Armand Bam; Philippa Tumubweinee

doi:10.17159/sajs.2022/13176

Authors

Cyrill Walters Department of Education Policy Studies, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0003-9699
Armand Bam Stellenbosch University Business School, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6074-7232
Philippa Tumubweinee School of Architecture, Planning and Geomatics, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5060-3964

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17159/sajs.2022/13176

Keywords:

higher education, gender inequality, female academics, gender in academia, gender gap

Abstract

The novel coronavirus set off a global pandemic of the COVID-19 disease that affected higher education institutions in profound ways. Drawing on the experiences of more than 2029 academic women, this article shows the precarity of academic women’s work under pandemic conditions. We analysed seven persistent themes that emerged from the qualitative analysis of the open-ended responses to an online survey across South Africa’s 26 higher education institutions. In short, these seven factors have rendered women’s work precarious with serious implications for an already elusive gender inequality in the academy. Finally, we aim to provide insight for academic leaders and policymakers to accommodate support for women academics and families in higher education during this time and in the future.

Significance:

This study offers a detailed empirical analysis of the pandemic disruption of women’s academic work, confirming the precarious nature of their employment within the academy.
The study shows that the variability in employment agreements for women contributes to the uncertainty that they already experience in terms of their careers and progression within the academy.
Suggestions are made for higher education institutions to remedy the negative consequences of the pandemic lockdown for women’s academic work and their professional futures.