ERIC Number: ED215648
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1982
Pages: 39
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Professorship: A Portrait of Women in Academe.
Hampton, Letitia A.
The career paths of women full professors at a university with predominantly male faculty was studied to identify the developmental trends in their lives and to project success paths that could be contemplated by aspiring women academics. Interviews were conducted with 13 women faculty members and their vitas were analyzed. The following broad concerns were addressed: childhood and college, early professional years, career advancement, and advice for aspiring academics. Their family, marital status, and role at the university were assessed to determine how the women fit in with the organization of the university and to evaluate the influence of family responsibilities on their university careers. Commonalities in early life that might have influenced their career choice were also assessed. Among the findings are the following: 75 percent of their fathers held a white-collar position and 65 percent of their mothers worked outside the home; many delayed making final career choices until their 30's and 40's; they viewed their social status as evolving from their work rather than their families; they tended to deny credit for their own accomplishments; they chose life-styles that were primarily dedicated to a job and to advancement within that job; after finishing their doctorates, the women began to work at universities; the amount of time that lapsed between receipt of the doctorate and the promotion to full professor varied from 3 years to between 18 and 20 years; role models were found to be influential in several of the women's careers; and teaching was viewed as important and fulfilling. (SW)
Descriptors: Academic Aspiration, Adult Development, Career Choice, Career Ladders, Educational Background, Family Characteristics, Females, Higher Education, Occupational Aspiration, Parent Background, Parent Influence, Professors, Promotion (Occupational), Teacher Attitudes, Teaching (Occupation), Women Faculty, Work Experience
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Note: Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the National Association of Women Deans, Administrators, and Counselors (Indianapolis, IN, March 31-April 3, 1982).