“It’s A Steeper Hill for Women to Climb!”: An Intersectional Gender Analysis of Familial and Socio Cultural Drivers of Inequitable Scientific Career Progression of Researchers in the Context of the DELTAS Africa Initiative

Abstract

Background: This study sought to illuminate familial and socio-cultural drivers that contribute to intersectional gender inequities in scientific career progression in Sub-saharan Africa (SSA) by drawing on lived experiences of women and men researchers. The findings are drawn from a wider research study that was aimed at gaining an in-depth understanding of the barriers and enablers of gender equitable scientific career progression for researchers in SSA. This was nested within the context of ‘Developing Excellence in Leadership, Training and Science in Africa’ (DELTAS Africa) – a health-based scientific research capacity strengthening initiative.

Methods: The study adopted an exploratory qualitative cross-sectional study design. In-depth interviews were conducted with fifty-eight (32 Female and 26 Male) trainees/research fellows at various career stages, supported and/or affiliated to three purposively selected African Research Consortia. The interviews were conducted between May and December 2018 in English. The data was analysed inductively based on emergent themes.

Results: Four themes were identified. First: characterisation of the normative career pathway and progression requirements. Second: social power relations of gender within the family and wider society. Third: researchers’ experiences of navigating between the ‘two different lives’, and the resultant implications for their career progression and personal well-being. Fourth, potential strategies utilised by women for navigating the ‘two different lives’ and their impacts.

Conclusions: This study offers important policy and practice measures and approaches for fostering equitable scientific research career progression for women and men within research capacity strengthening initiatives in SSA. These includes the need for: reforms in institutional human resources policies and systems; a more fundamental re-think of the normative scientific career structure to create equitable opportunities, improving diversity and well-being of both female and male researchers; additional support and potential adjustments to expectations for language minorities in science; and embracing gender transformative approaches in science.