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Understanding academic women's silence in Poland: exploring with social cognitive theory

journal contribution
posted on 2024-10-09, 05:33 authored by Leila Lotfi Dehkharghani, Jane Menzies, Andrea North-SamardzicAndrea North-Samardzic, Sarah Jane Casey
Purpose This study aims to explore academic women’s silence from the perspective of social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986), by examining the triadic influences of the individual, environment and behaviour, which impacts their silence. The study examines how women use personal, proxy and collective agency (Bandura, 2018) to reduce silence. Design/methodology/approach Interviewing 22 academics (20 women, 2 men) at a leading Polish university, this study used the Gioia et al. (2013) method to analyse the interviews, creating first- and second-order codes and final aggregated concepts. Findings This study finds, from an environmental perspective, that societal-level gendering, which is underpinned by critical social factors and institutional logics that are part of Poland’s culture promoting gender stereotypes and family values influences women’s silence. There is clear evidence for the regression of women’s rights, which compounds women’s silence. These societal-level factors influence a hierarchical, bureaucratic organizational structure, alongside gender segregation. From an individual perspective, reasons for silence include socialization, fear, women’s lack of power, inequality and self-silencing to mitigate harassment or discrimination. Collective agency was a strongly mentioned theme to help reduce silence, which includes implementing training and development initiatives, creating a safe platform to voice concerns, structural transformation and cultural change. Originality/value This study contributes to literature regarding women’s silence by exploring reasons for silence through the lens of Bandura’s social cognitive theory and agentic perspective, which demonstrates how silence could be reduced through collective action, in the understudied context of Poland, which highlights how country context intersects with organizational context and individual experience, influencing women’s silence.

History

Journal

Critical Perspectives on International Business

Volume

ahead-of-print

Location

Leeds, Eng.

Open access

  • No

ISSN

1742-2043

eISSN

1742-2043

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Issue

ahead-of-print

Publisher

Emerald