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M. Haas, C. Keinert, S. Köszegi, E. Zedlacher:
"New wine in old wineskins: New career boundaries for women in old networks in academia";
Talk: 27th EGOS Colloquium, Göteborg; 2011-07-06 - 2011-07-09.

The existing career model in science is discussed to serve as a role-model for boundaryless careers. However, the steady attrition of females along the academic career path - called the "leaky pipeline phenomenon" - raises the question if this is true for all academic members. Using biography research the study analyzes the career advancement and career concepts of 15 highly skilled female students and researchers in a particularly male-dominated academic institution in science and technology. The analysis reveals specific boundaries for female scientists in academia. Most important, the career advancement of women in the sample is strongly bounded to a single powerful career sponsor and thus restricted for females. Furthermore, the study suggests that the boundaryless career concept lacks a gender perspective as the boundaryless careerist is constructed along a masculine employee norm without reproduction and care responsibilities. Additionally, the concept ignores boundary- heightening effects prevalent in highly skewed professional groups which are discriminating against the minority.

http://publik.tuwien.ac.at/files/PubDat_199655.pdf