What do the narratives tell us? Exploring the implementation of the Athena SWAN Ireland Charter
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 13076075 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Monica O’Mullane (0000-0002-5649-1932, University College Cork, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2023 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Pages | 1058397-1058397 |
| Publication date | 2023-01-04 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Frontiers in Sociology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2297-7775 • E-ISSN: 2297-7775 |
| Publisher | Frontiers Media (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3389/fsoc.2022.1058397 |
| PMID | 36687009 |
| OpenAlex | W4313493210 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 43 |
Due to the systemic inequalities enduring in career progression pathways in the Irish higher education sector, the Athena SWAN Ireland Charter (ASIC), a gender equality accreditation program, is being implemented. Using a theoretical approach, blending insights from feminist institutionalism with literature on the role of narratives in policy implementation, this article reveals the complex nature of subjective engagement with policy implementation processes. This article discusses an empirical study of Athena SWAN Ireland Charter implementation across three purposively chosen Irish universities, interviewing 26 key institutional actors tasked with implementing the ASIC locally. Narrative themes emerging as dominant from the data include a lack of operational knowledge, desire for a nationally contextualized program, ambiguity, championing, "happy talk," and identifying points of resistance. Literature on the role of narrative accounts highlighting a diversity of perceptions in policy and program implementation is strengthened by this study's findings. A feminist institutionalist lens highlight the gendered nature of the operationalization of the Charter work and the vague and detached "happy talk" engaged predominantly by senior men leaders. Findings from this empirical study highlight the importance of exploring the narrative accounts of key actors in order to gain a holistic understanding of the nuanced implementation process, beyond the normative assumptions inherent in the Charter implementation
Charter · Epistemology · Irish · Narrative · Operationalization · Political science · Public relations · Scholarship · Sociology · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Nonprofit Sector and Volunteering
Governing the economy
Institutions, Institutional Change and Economic Performance
Crossroads Tempered Radicalism and the Politics of Ambivalence and Change
An exploration of perceptions of gender equity among Sage Athena SWAN self-assessment team members in a regional Australian university
Developing a theoretical framework for exploring the institutional responses to the Athena SWAN Charter in higher education institutions—A feminist institutionalist perspective
Gender, Politics and Institutions
On Being Included
Certifying Gender Equality in Research
Progress, but at the Expense of Male Power? Institutional Resistance to Gender Equality in an Irish University
Department heads enacting gender balance policies
How organizational research can avoid the pitfalls of a co-optation perspective
Care policies in practice
Context matters
Slaying the Seven‐Headed Dragon
Moderate feminism within or against the neoliberal university? The example of Athena SWAN
Are we to become a gender university?’ Facets of resistance to a gender equality project
Gender discourses in academic mobility
Why is it so difficult to reduce gender inequality in male-dominated higher educational organizations? A feminist institutional perspective
Narratives of academic staff involvement in Athena SWAN and race equality charter marks in UK higher education institutions
Conflicting policy narratives
Navigating unChartered waters
Gender, actors, and institutions at the local level
Bridging Rhetoric and Practice
Staking the Frame of a Feminist Discursive Institutionalism
How is Institutional Formation Gendered, and Does it Make a Difference? A New Conceptual Framework and a Case Study of Police and Crime Commissioners in England and Wales
Feminist Institutionalism
Dilemmas of an Academic Feminist as Manager in the Neoliberal Academy
Resisting gendered change
New Institutionalism Through a Gender Lens
Feminist institutionalism(s)
Taking ideas and discourse seriously
Inequality Regimes
| Citations per year | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2026 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |