Women professors and deans; access, opportunity and networks

This chapter argues that the key tension in the historiography of women’s progress as academics lies in its position within women’s and feminist history and the history of education. The themes of institutions, networking, money, and religion provide four hubs from which to reflect on existing work and recognise potential new directions for those seeking either to improve our understanding of the past or the problems of the present. A fourth section discusses the possibility of ‘border crossings’ as an additional lens through which to view the field. The scope of the chapter is restricted to material published in English and existing lacunae in terms of race, disability and sexuality are recognised but inevitably repeated. Most examples are taken from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland and Britain and it is hoped that the themes identified may generate research with a wider geographical scope. Researching women as academics is more complex than simply charting their access and presence, it is also about recognising their impact on university life and curricula. Two case studies highlight themes of history for the past or present. The first focuses on the role of the British and International Federations of University Women, identifying how women worked together to expand career opportunities. The second considers how campaigns for academic equality today draw on historical explanations for the origins of the problem.