to the cultures of male-dominated firms. “You must not be emotional,” one expressed. “Because they will definitely play with your feelings.” Participants highlighted the need to adopt masculine attitudes and postures to have a better chance of fostering relationships with men in industry. While culture might say women should remain at home and be submissive, some of our interviewees took the opposite approach. “We need to be more visible at the workplace,” one told us. “So, for industry collaborations, we must go out there and sales pitch ourselves and let them know that we have this expertise.” Embodying masculinity could allow women researchers to avoid the risk of being underestimated. It might allow them to be recognised for their competencies. While these habits may reap results in the short-term, in the long-term it is unlikely to have any transformative effects on women’s circumstances in work and organisations. WOMEN CAN MAKE IT WORK Our participants noted that industries preferred to work with men because of the ‘motherhood problems that women come with’. We heard how employers discriminate against academic mothers because of the perception they may not be able to work at certain times or for longer hours. But they also told us how they would shape people’s perceptions of them as academic mothers who can accomplish activities designated to them. “You must set an example for people to see what you are capable of,” one interviewee told us. “When they see it, they visualise it, and then they talk to you, their confidence level goes up, they know you can do it and then they give you the job.” Some participants showed their dual work-family identities on LinkedIn, showing others their capabilities and gaining a positive profile. MORE CHANGE NEEDED We see throughout our research how women researchers recognise the gendered influences on their work in academic engagement. We see examples of sexual harassment, stereotyping and sexism (benevolent or otherwise) in dealing with maledominated firms, and little institutional support for them. The responses they undertake are gendered as well – be it an emphasis on femininity or masculinity. What is needed is action on a grander scale, with policies designed to support marginalised groups that consider the differing factors that affect their participation in academic engagement activities. Existing diversity policies can often fail to capture these complex factors and can encourage the affected groups to become complicit in the inequalities. Without change, these women academics face being trapped in a cycle of low wages, limited career opportunities, and harmful working conditions that can widen gender inequality across academia and broader society. FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 17 Lola Dada is Professor of Entrepreneurship in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Lancaster University Management School. Her core research areas are in entrepreneurship, innovation, franchising and strategy. l.dada@lancaster.ac.uk Both authors were part of the RECIRCULATE project, a £7m project funded by the UK government’s Global Challenges Research Fund, through UK Research and Innovation. RECIRCULATE worked closely with businesses, research organisations and communities in Africa on eco-innovations for the circular water economy. This research was supported by RECIRCULATE under the UK Research and Innovation through the Global Challenges Research Fund Grant Ref. ES/P010857/1. The article In pursuit of the third mission: Exploring women’s participation in academic engagement activities in sub-Saharan Africa, by Dr Afua Owusu-Kwarteng, of Northumbria University (formerly a PhD researcher at Lancaster University); Professor Sarah Jack, and Professor Lola Dada, of Lancaster University; and Dr Cynthia Forson, of LU Ghana, is published in the journal Technovation. This article builds on Dr Afua Owusu-Kwarteng’s research, while she was a funded PhD student in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Lancaster University Management School, as part of the RECIRCULATE project. Sarah Jack is Distinguished Professor in the Department of Entrepreneurship and Strategy at Lancaster University Management School. Her research focuses on the social aspects of entrepreneurship. s.l.jack@lancaster.ac.uk
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