The Career Experiences of Women Support Staff in Higher Education with Advanced Degrees.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Guided by the three-dimensional narrative inquiry framework, this study explored the career experiences of women support staff with advanced degrees who work at higher education institutions. The researcher interviewed eight participants for this study. The participants also completed a written reflection detailing their career journeys. Two feminist organizational frameworks guided the data collection and data analysis procedures: Kanter's (1977) structural empowerment theory and Acker's (1990) gendered organizations theory, as well as Acker's (2006) notion of inequality regimes. The researcher found 11 themes across the participants' career experiences: (1) the challenge and reward of support staff work, (2) the disrespect and invisibility of support staff work, (3) uncertain career goals inside higher education, (4) openness to career goals outside higher education, (5) perceiving opportunity, (6) navigating absence of opportunity, (7) the value of networking, (8) the benefit of an advanced degree, (9) the benefit of woman identity, (10) the hindrance of woman identity, and (11) the influence of identities beyond gender. To assist in the career advancement of women support staff, the researcher recommends supervisor support, formalized institutional opportunity structures, and addressing the inequality regimes of higher education. Further inquiry is needed to explore career experience influences beyond women's gender identity. The findings are valuable to higher education administrators concerned with employee retention and support staff advancement.