Women in Academia: Achieving Our Potential

This book explores the reasons why women in academia earn less, are less likely to be published, cited, funded or promoted compared with male colleagues. Women in academia earn less and are less likely to be published, cited, funded or promoted compared with male colleagues. Using her own experience, and reflecting a Positive Psychology Approach, Watson puts forward ideas to promote awareness of women in academia to engage with behaviours and activities that contribute to successful academic careers, underpinned by evidence, theory and the experience of 25 international scholars (female and male) from a wide range of disciplines. Women in Academia provides a rare insight into the inner workings of academia, focussing primarily on what women could do as individuals to enhance their potential. This book makes a positive contribution to the navigation and development of careers for women in academia. It summarizes the valuable combined experience of the author and the 25 scholars. Tangible lessons in career development are presented using a variety of methods including case studies which are insightful and provoke action, as well as ‘additional resources’ and ‘over to you’ sections that support a workbook approach of ‘how to do academia’.