Christian Poulsen examines the matter of prestige in academia. He sets out to disprove the widely accepted notion that universities are based on a pure meritocratic system. The study compounds extensive survey studies of Swedish professors as well as focus group interviews with male and female professors. It was investigated whether female professors are discriminated against in the transferring of merit to prestige. The acquiring of prestige is essential for succeeding at a career in academia. The distribution of prestige between women and men may help explain the low representation of women in full professor positions. The book helps to bridge the gap between various existing explanatory models. The findings were compared with other studies on prestige and status in which Spain served as a reference country.It was found that women were not discriminated against on the basis of the merits they had in relation to prestige. Additionally it was revealed that professors feel the status of the profession has decreased, but on the other hand female professors were more satisfied with the current status of professors. Not surprisingly it was also found that the prestige of Swedish professors is not based alone on merit. Instead relational factors play a role in the assignment of prestige. Christian Poulsen introduces the term 'consecrating moments' to explain the relational nature of assigning prestige. The concept refutes the widely accepted idea that a career in academia is made up of a long and continual flow of good performance. In doing so, it discusses sociology of education, feminist theory of women in academia and the theory developed by Robert K. Merton and his followers.The book is the PhD dissertation of Christian Poulsen, adhered to the Sociology department at the Lund University.

This book proposes the framework of gendered academic citizenship to capture the multidimensional and complex dynamics of power relations and everyday practices in the contemporary context of academic capitalism. The book proposes an innovative definition of academic citizenship as involving three key components: membership, recognition and belonging. Based on new empirical data, it identifies four ideal-types of academic citizenship: full, limited, transitional citizenship and non-citizenship. The different chapters of the book provide comprehensive reviews of the relevant research literature and offer original insights into the patterns of gender inequalities and practices of gendered academic citizenship across and within different national contexts. The book concludes by setting a comprehensive research agenda for the future. This book will be of interest to academic researchers and students at all levels in the disciplines of sociology, gender studies, higher education, political science and cultural anthropology.

This study surveys the position of women in academic institutions across the world, investigating the nature of the gender gap in various countries. The contributors analyze data, predict future trends and summarize those strategies most successful in reducing gender inequality.

For much of the twentieth century, women lagged considerably behind men in their educational attainment. However, in recent decades, young women have become an important source of human capital for labor markets in modern societies, as well as potential competitors to the male workforce. This book asks whether or not women have been able to convert their educational success into gains on the labor market. The expert contributors address the topic on a comparative level with discussions centred on gendered school-to-work transitions and gendered labor market outcomes. Thereafter they analyze the country-specific implications of the gender redress from a wide range of countries including the USA, Russia and Australia. This enlightening book will appeal to graduates and postgraduates studying social policy, education, the labor market, inequality and gender. It will also be of interest to experts in the fields of sociology, education, political science and economics and those interested in educational research.

First Published in 2011. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.