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DIVERSIFYING THE CAREERS WORKFORCE��DR EMMA BOLGER: GENDER AND CLASS

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BACKGROUND

Working in higher education in careers and academic roles since 2004
Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader, MSc Career Guidance and Development, University of the West of Scotland (UWS)
Previous roles include gender equality expert for Skills Development Scotland
Teaching, practice and supervisory focus on equality, diversity and inclusion in career development
PhD focused on occupational segregation and considered the demographics of the career guidance and development profession.

SETTING THE SCENE FOR TODAY’S LEARNING AND DISCUSSION

I will likely raise far more questions in this slot that I will answer (if any)
Encouraging you to step back and review who you are, who you work with, the composition of our sector
Please contribute throughout my slot to the Padlet I’ve set up and refer back to it during the group discussions (you can post anonymously): https://padlet.com/emma_bolger/cnx8pxv5tafe7hue (scroll to the right if you are on a laptop, there are quite a few questions!). This will remain open if you wish to participate when watching the recording.

ACADEMICALLY, WHAT DO WE DO?

Career development theory requires continuous review
We critique existing theory and gender/class orientated theoretical perspectives
We teach in an equality and inclusion context

But most of us working in the sector aren’t sitting within a university, talking theory all day. We are out in the world, wanting to make a difference.

GENDER AND CLASS IN CIAG

Career guidance and development: limited heritage, modest focus on inclusion and diversity
Awareness of gender and class underrepresentation in our sector
The gendering of career information advice and guidance support: mothers and other female family members as sources of CIAG and comprise the majority when we consider formal sources of CIAG
Class: nuanced and constantly changing notions (income, education, occupation, heritage, health…/privilege and disadvantage)
Role models within and outside of the CIAG workplace
While there may be a “tipping point” or critical mass at which point people do not realise there is gender imbalance within their sector or role, are we really unaware of it? (Unconscious bias)

ACCEPTING THERE IS AN ISSUE

Quantifying the challenge on a sensitive topic
White and “privileged”?
Mostly women, working in a generally well-paid roles and in “decent” or ”fair” work compared to the working roles, terms and conditions experienced by many women
Cost of entry routes is prohibitive (but for some, the student funding is a good option around caring commitments and for adult returners who already have suitable existing qualifications)

DISSECTING WHO WE ARE

The historic position of being an expert showing benevolence.
Do you clients “look up” to you as a professional, or do they feel alienated?
Do we have different “classes” of people working successfully in different CIAG roles?
Think about those working in employability or as key workers, compared to those of us working in HE careers.

For a light-hearted, yet sadly striking perspective on how we are viewed from the outside, go to my most popular blog post: https://www.emmabolger.co.uk/2017/02/why-would-someone-choose-to-be-careers.html

WHERE ARE WE AT?

Small pockets of positive action
Enough being done to challenge ourselves (considering how much of an external hammering we already get)
Tough decisions (e.g. stepping back from work offered to promote lesser-heard voices)
Limiting information we share on ourselves with colleagues (see also performative behaviour)
Better understanding of our multiple and sub-identities, dependent on the position we take and ability to separate our personal and professional identity
Performative behaviours (performative activism, audience aware actions in the workplace)
Valuable communities of practice, but do these issues present there too?

POSITIVE ACTION IN RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION

language use within promotional material and vacancy advertisements

targeted advertising to underrepresented groups

professional networks for underrepresented groups

Are these things making a difference, or do they tick the performative behaviours boxes?

What action is being taken beyond the basics on these long-standing issues?

QUESTIONS & �(PROBABLY NOT MANY) ANSWERS (YET)

As I said at the start of my slot, I’m here to get you thinking!
Padlet link https://padlet.com/emma_bolger/cnx8pxv5tafe7hue
Do you have any initial thoughts? We are happy to take notes and add them to the Padlet if you want to raise them here instead or add into the chat box.