University Teaching

Lean in and freeze your eggs: The gendered nature of work in the 21st century

SE Lean in and freeze your eggs: The gendered nature of work in the 21st century.

taught in English summer term 2019 & 2020 at Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt

Content

In recent years successful business leaders suggested that all it takes for women to pursue a career is to “Lean in” (Sheryl Sandberg) and make it work. Moreover, businesses offer their female employees the chance to freeze their eggs, so that they could pursue family plans later on in their life. All of this suggests that there is an issue in balancing career, family life and gender norm expectations. The course Lean in and freeze your eggs: the gendered nature of work in the 21^st century critically examines these norm expectations from an intersectional perspective. Looking at the nexus of gender, body, mind and work students will discuss to what extent the «ideal worker» still follows a normative masculine understanding.

As many studies have shown, the workplace is hallmarked by inequality regimes. Age, dis_ability, social class, ethnic background, and gender are just some of the social markers that potentially influence a person’s career trajectory, their perceived fitness for a job, as well as their general well-being. The course, therefore, examines the co-construction of job-gender-body-mind. It hereby critically examines the post-feminist narrative of “leaning in” and its manifold limits from an intersectional perspective.

Methods

Classes will be a mixture of individual and group exercise. Students will be asked to choose three texts from the syllabus. They should choose one, they like to present during class, and two which they like to summarize prior to class. The presentation as well as the summaries should comprise the key aspects of the chosen texts as well as some critical reflections. The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes. The summaries should comprise 500-700 words and at least three points which the student would like to discuss in class (including a brief argument for each of these three discussion points).

Students are, furthermore, required to write an online-learning journal within a week of each session. The learning journal entries comprises of at least 400 words, reflecting the insights of each session. Students will be provided with some guiding questions for preparation of the texts and the learning journal.

Practice Project

Diversity Management in Practice

Strategic Diversity Management

Introduction to HR, Leadership and Organisation

Gender & Diversity in International Context

Seminaristische Übung: Gender & Diversity in the International Context

taught in english, winter term 2018, Freie-Universität Berlin

Social categories such as "gender", "social class", "ethnicity" or "religion" play a major role in organizations and societies. They are based on a historically and culturally produced order and are associated with stereotyping and hierarchization. It is important to understand these socio-cultural classification processes and their effects in order to gain knowledge about discrimination processes and to reduce discrimination. This course considers the concepts of gender and diversity and the tensions between them, especially in international contexts. The reflection on one's own values, modes of action and communication styles as well as reflection on the Eurocentric perspective forms the basis for discussion skills, team skills, moderation skills and leadership skills in intercultural and international contexts. It is a prerequisite for professional activities in companies and organizations worldwide. In an awareness training, the students are sensitized to dealing with stereotyping and ascribed social differences. They learn to reflect personal attitudes and values. In particular, they learn to recognize and reflect on racist judgements. They can also reflect upon the perspective from which they speak in international contexts and thus learn how to deal professionally with diversity in complex situations in international contexts.

Introduction to Gender Studies

Diversity in Engineering

Basics of Organisation

Workshop & Modules

Gender and diversity in team work at MINOA PhD school

This workshop addresses issues of what makes a great team and potential benefits of working in an inclusive team. To this end, participants will learn about implicit associations and how those might – sometimes unwittingly – impact themselves or colleagues. Personal experiences of the participants will be related to empirical evidence.

The aims of the workshop are:
    •    to gain insights in how gender and diversity might impact collaborations and career trajectories;
    •    to strengthen communication skills and collaboration;
    •    to initiate a reflexive process towards inclusive practices.

Topics:
    •    Gender Diversity & Intersectionality in STEM
    •    Implicit Associations in STEM
    •    How does gender and intersectionality influence collaborations? 
    •    Inclusion – what’s the benefit and how to achieve it?

Methods: Reflexive excercises, self-evaluation, Bingo, Group discussions, group work.

facilitated during the 1st MINOA PhD school, Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Optimization meets Data Science, Hotel Hermitage ISCHIA, Italy June 25-28, 2019 http://www.iasi.cnr.it/minoa/speakers/

Classism

Tutor Trainings

Workshop on Scientific Work

Events and Talks

selected talks

Günther, Elisabeth Anna. 2020. Gender & Digitalisierung. ExpertInnen-Talk über künftige Herausforderungen im Rahmen von "Wien: Genderfit seit 15 Jahren!" Wien, 01.07.2020
Günther, Elisabeth Anna (2019): Vielfältig zum Ziel. Zweck von und Ideen zur Förderung der Diversität in Unternehmen. ESF Jahrestagung 2019, Wien, 05.12.2019.
(K)ein Ausschluss zwischen den Zeilen: die Wirkung von impliziten Bias in der Lehre. ((No) Exclusion between the lines: Effects of Implicit Bias in Teaching.)
invited talk as part of an event organised by the Committee on Equal Treatment at TU Wien (linked announcement in German), Wien 15.11.2018
Der ideale Student. Intersektionale Dynamiken in der Universitären MINT-Lehre. (The Ideal Student. Intersectional Dynamics in Teaching STEM at University.) talk at the Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt, Klagenfurt 12.11.2018
Der ideale Student. Intersektionelle Ungleichheiten durch MINT-Lehre an der Universität. (The Ideal Student. Intersectional Inequalities through Teaching STEM at University) talk to the Working Group Gender and Diversity Management at the Austrian Ministry for Science, Research and Economy, Wien, 19.12.2017.
Count on (big) data? Some thoughts about data analytics. Talk at the Employer Brand Management conference 2017, London, 12.12.2017.
Der ideale Student. Warum Geschlecht im Studium an der TU Wien eine Rolle spielt. Talk as part of the 'Monat der freien Bildung' ("month of free education"), 17.05.2016
The ideal student. Intersectionality in STEM education. Talk at the Gender Hotspot meeting of the multidisciplinary research group Gender and Power in Politics and Management, Radboud University, 19.03.2015.
Discussant on Gender and Regional Norm Diffusion: Debunking Eurocentrism. Granddeur, organized by the multidisciplinary research group Gender and Power in Politics and Management, Radboud University, 12.03.2015.

panel discussions

Webinars (organised and/or chaired)

Ethics of care in times of crisis

Thursday, 25 June 2020 (link with all information)

The unprecedented disruption created by the ongoing pandemic has had a transformational impact on our personal, professional and working lives. At present, we are living and working under unfamiliar and, in many cases, even more precarious conditions.

Amidst the challenges of coping and adapting to the present changes, heightened insecurities and uncertainties are met with an increasing demand for caring and supporting different communities (e.g. family, friends, neighbours, colleagues, peers, students) and doing so in diverse ways. Diverse narratives co-exist in the middle of the crisis; for instance, whilst many struggle with existential fear for both the present and the future, political discourse has placed attention on keeping the economy going, with narratives about "going back to business as usual" and "adjusting to the new normal". There are important implications for these narratives; in particular how the crisis has increased and reinforced inequalities that were central to the "old normal". For example, this crisis has profound gendered and racialised impacts as women and minorities continue to carry most of the burden created by disruption linked to the crisis.

Against this backdrop, we want to reflect on the ethics of care in times of crisis from a feminist perspective. What are the key aspects of the ethics of care in times of crisis? With this webinar, we are looking to develop a space of critical reflection and constructive discussion about our responsibility to ourselves and others.

Some of the questions we want to address in this webinar are:

What would a care-based approach to life and work look like in a time like this?
What values should we be promoting in our exchanges and interactions with others and how?
How can we deal with the tensions, e.g. between the individual freedom and societal responsibilities?
How do we navigate self-care and care for those who are vulnerable?
What strategies can/should we develop?
What challenges does this crisis pose to solidarity? Are there limits to solidarity in times of crisis? If so, how can we overcome them?
What kind of questions do we need to ask and answer to ensure that personal, political and global dialogues consider ongoing inequalities and develop strategies to mitigate them?

Panelists

Professor Yvonne Benschop, Radboud University, Netherlands
Professor Carol Gilligan, New York University, USA
Professor Marianna Fotaki, Warwick University, United Kingdom
Professor Stella Nkomo, University of Pretoria, South Africa

Chairs

Dr Elisabeth Anna Guenther, Institute for Gender and Diversity in Organizations, WU Vienna, Austria
Dr Jenny K Rodriguez, Work & Equalities Institute, Alliance Manchester Business School, United Kingdom

This event is jointly organised by:

Equitable and Sustainable Futures for Women

Tuesday, 17 November 2020 (all information on bam.ac.uk)

The Gender in Management SIG and the Leadership and Leadership Development SIG are pleased to invite you to attend the “Women and Leadership: Equitable and Sustainable Futures for Women in Leadership” event. This is the final session of the two-webinar series on Women and Leadership.

Despite the wealth of research and reports about the ways in which women have and continue to positively transform leadership practice, as well as the increase in the number of women in leadership positions, important challenges still remain. In addition to the overall under representation of women in top leadership positions, women’s leadership styles and practices are subject to continuous scrutiny and negative stereotypes, and they face challenges linked to different forms of gender violence that emerge from gendered understandings of leadership.

In view of the rapid changes to work and workplaces, we need to reflect more insightfully about women in leadership, reflecting on providing equitable and sustainable futures for women in leadership. This event looks to reflect on the relationship between gender and leadership and how these shapes the experiences of women leaders. In particular, the event looks to bring to the fore ideas about how leadership is embodied, practiced and understood, how this has changed and the implications this has in order for leadership practice to support equal and sustainable dynamics of work and employment in the future.

This event is designed for academics, practitioners, researchers and policy makers. The speakers will be sharing on the relationship between gender and leadership, with a specific focus on women and leadership. Thoughts to set theory and practice agendas for the equitable and sustainable futures for women in leadership in the 21st century will be the focus of the day.

Speakers: Lara Williams (Co-founder of Momentum4, UK), Professor Carole Elliott (Sheffield University Management School, UK), Professor Jackie Ford (Durham University Business School, UK), and Professor Ruth Sealy (University of Exeter Business School, UK).

This session was chaired by Dr Jenny K. Rodriguez and Dr Elisabeth Guenther, Dr Christian Harrison co-organised the webinar.

The gendered impact of Covid-19 pandemic on work and employment

20 January 2021 (further information on bam.ac.uk)

The Covid19 pandemic has exacerbated pre-crisis economic and social inequalities, which have important implications for gender equality in all domains of life. In general terms, the pandemic poses risks to widening the gender gap in areas like accumulation of human capital, economic empowerment, agency and voice. At work, these challenges are multilayered given the life-changing impact the pandemic has had in the way we relate socially and professionally with work and employment.

The most immediate points of discussion have revolved around the gendered impact of covid19 for those working from home and those who are unable to work from home. In adapting to the risks of infection, a large portion of the working population is now homeworking. The combination of homeworking, alongside the prevalence of virtual work presence has blurred the lines between home life and work life. It has increased an already complex reality of the disproportionate burden women face in relation to unpaid care and housework, having to juggle working from home, homeschooling, and caring for others. For those unable to work from home, e.g. service sector workers (cleaners, security guards, waiting staff, retail workers, financial sector, public transport, social workers) as well as plant, process and machine operatives and frontline key workers, the challenges of continued exposure to higher risks of infection, while also having to deal with concerns about the health and safety of those close to them, has led to decreased levels of wellbeing as a result of an increase in emotional and psychological distress.

Intersectionally, reports have suggested a disproportionate impact on Black people, people of colour, and ethnic minorities, especially those on low-income jobs. These groups are more often pressured to work outside home, which increases their level of risk of infection and death, as well as negatively impact on their mental health. Moreover, the decrease of income, due to job loss and reduction in working hours, puts additional pressure on low-income households. Consequently, Black women, women of colour and ethnic minorities have experienced a higher financial burden as a result of the pandemic.

This panel is interested in unpacking the complexities of gender dynamics and inequalities that are emerging from the pandemic. Key questions for this panel discussion include: What are the consequences of the gendered impact of the Covid19 pandemic on those working from home and those who are unable to work from home? Who is excluded from the current framing of the conversation? What actions need to be taken and by whom? What policies could be implemented in order to mitigate the gendered impact of the Covid19 pandemic?

Panelists: Professor Gary Powell (University of Connecticut, USA), Dr Carolyn Axtell (University of Sheffield, UK), and Amal Abdellatif (Northumbria University, UK)

This webinar was organised by Dr Elisabeth Anna Guenther, Dr Sandy MacDonald, Dr Jenny K Rodriguez, and Dr Huiping Xian. Dr Xian chaired the webinar.

Two webinar series on Gender and Technology (Panel discussion 1): Gender and AI, Implications for diversity and equality at work

17 May 2021 (further information on bam.ac.uk)

This is the first event in a two-part series that engages with the relationship between gender and technology. This event explores the relationship between gender and artificial intelligence. Fast advances in artificial intelligence have, on the one hand, been welcomed as they signify one of the most transformational advances in technology that extends the human-machine relationship. On the other hand, many questions continue to be raised about the implications in the widespread use of AI.

In particular, we have seen reports about algorithmic bias that reproduce and exacerbate gender and intersectional inequalities. It has been said that AI is a mirror of ourselves and against the backdrop, this panel discussion will reflect on the relationship between gender and AI and its implications and the challenges it poses for diversity and equality issues at work.

Speakers
•    Professor Anja Lambrecht, London Business School
•    Julian Posada, University of Toronto
•    Dr Mayra Ruiz Castro, University of Roehampton
•    Professor Judy Wajcman, London School of Economics and Political Science

Chairs
•    Dr Jenny Rodriguez, University of Manchester
•    Dr Elisabeth Anna Guenther, University of Vienna

Two webinar series on Gender and Technology (Panel discussion 2): What to do about gender, race and class in robots and AI?

17 June 2021 (further information on bam.ac.uk)

This is the second event in a two-part series that engages with the relationship between gender and technology. This event addresses gender, race and class in the area of robotics, automation and artificial intelligence.

Robots and automation may appear ostensibly as pure technical developments. However, reports have shown that gendered as well as racialised stereotypes influence the design and utilization of both. As a consequence, these technological developments run the risk to enhance inequalities.

In this panel we aim to explore what is needed to counteract such risks. We want to know what is needed to ensure that digital transformation will contribute to an inclusive workplace and a social justice agenda.

Speakers

•    Dr Long Bui, University of California at Irvine
•    Professor Elisabeth Kelan, University of Essex
•    Professor Sabine Köszegi, Vienna University of Technology

Chairs
•    Dr Elisabeth Anna Guenther, University of Vienna
•    Dr Jenny K. Rodriguez, University of Manchester

Webinar Publishing Gender and Diversity Scholarship

10 June 2021 (further information on bam.ac.uk)

This panel discussion focuses on publishing gender and diversity scholarship. The panel will address questions, such as:
•    What makes publishable work in gender and diversity?
•    What are the most common challenges to publishing gender and diversity scholarship?
•    What are the key points that authors should consider in order to maximise the chances of success of their efforts to publish their work in this area?
Speakers

•    Adelina Broadbridge, Editor of Gender in Management
•    Barbara Risman, Editor of Gender & Society
•    Eddy Ng, Editor-in-Chief of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Chairs
•    Jenny Rodriguez, University of Manchester
•    Elisabeth Anna Guenther, University of Vienna

Elisabeth A. Günther