Why I had to quit

It would make more sense if most women's career aspirations were more weighted to their later years - and the same for expectations placed on them - to make room for motherhood.

What this writer describes is the not so new normal for academics in Australia. Until we destroy the salience now given by courts, commissions and tribunals to the neologism "managerial prerogative", this will just get worse.

This sadly has echoes of experiences I have had, as single parent in academia. I feel it is not sexism per se, but the fact that there is still scant regard in some places for the compassionate, empathetic manager. I too had, in the past, been told that I am 'too nice' to be in a management role. I persisted, I always do. My management style has been widely appreciated by those I have managed. There are some good 'tough managers' but, in my experience, tough management usually equates to bullying and bullies have no management ability. Bullying and abuse of power is not difficult. If references were sought from those an applicant has managed and from peers and not only from those who manage an applicant, the choices of who gets the job would be very different.

If I had to pick and address one form of discrimination in HE right now, I would think racism would be a more pertinent issue to address than sexism. I think HE has focused so much on sexism (not to say that more cannot be done) but has almost completely ignored tackling racism. For example, where is the racism equivalent for Athena SWAN?

There are obvious country differences in Education systems for primary into secondary and tertiary levels. Combined with socialization practices, there emerged a conscious and unconscious sustained motivation to engage in certain behaviours in the wider society and within organizations and institutions and other workplaces. Such behaviours become increasingly manifest as healthy and humane or unhealthy and inhumane in our interactions with each other across time. If they are manifested as gender, ethnic, social class, religious, she group of occupational biases, they are often rooted in educational exposures and socialization practices in earlier years. In an organization such biased behavioral orientations may be reflected in policies, procedures and organizational priorities. On many occasions policies may state otherwise, that is, prioritize inclusiveness irrespective of gender, ethnicity, social class etc. but employee behaviour does not help with such policies. Such organizations can not make any meaningful impact of progress because they are not aware that those who are marginalized by their bosses are the ones who have the competencies to make a positive difference in the organization. Unfortunately no amount of Education or qualifications can root out such biased behaviors which come to be known as prejudice discrimination in later years.