A number of measures have been taken by the society to ensure gender equality in higher education. Nevertheless, women still face great difficulties when pursuing an academic career. Our aim is to increase the understanding of how the society, conceptualised as the organisational field, interacts with organisational factors and personal actions as women try to establish themselves within academia. We followed a group of female PhD students and their struggle to graduate at a Swedish, traditionally male-dominated, university department. The paper analyses how actors and regulations in the society interact with the department's gendered structures and practices. Three processes that influenced the women's career opportunities have been identified--a process of integration, liberation and legitimatisation. We also show that women can get accepted and realise their short-term objective, based on support from the society, while not necessarily being included by the department in a longer-term perspective. (Contains 2 tables and 1 figures.)