University of Sussex
Browse

File(s) under permanent embargo

Exploring gendered attributional disparities in student outcomes: are universities complicit?

conference contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 00:16 authored by Isabel Fischer, John Da Silva LuizJohn Da Silva Luiz
Whereas female students in the UK, on average, outperform their male counterparts academically whilst at university, within five years of graduation a substantial gender pay gap emerges. Various reasons have been put forward for why this may be the case. We seek to contribute towards the understanding of this disparity by focusing on the students’ learning whilst at university and ask whether universities are preparing students effectively for the workplace or contributing towards gender inequality through their practices. Underpinned by attribution theory we use a mixed methods approach, combining both quantitative and qualitative aspects, in which we survey and interview 356 generation Z students, faculty and employers to unpack their perceptions of factors contributing towards students’ academic and career success. While students stressed the importance of their own agency and the role of organizational and time management skills, employers highlighted skills associated with teamwork, communication, and the role of confidence. The importance of gender differences manifested strongly with both employers and students indicating that female students tend to prioritize planning and organizational skills as a way to compensate for a lack of confidence, rather than being supported in building confidence. This, in turn, affects how female students approach their university and workplace experience. We examine tensions between students, employers and faculty to investigate how universities can play a role in addressing this gendered experience and outcome. We contribute towards the understanding of how Butlerian gender performativity linked to attribution theory manifests in the higher education sector.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Academy of Management Proceedings

ISSN

0065-0668

Publisher

Academy of Management

Issue

1

Volume

2021

Event name

81st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management

Event location

Virtual

Event type

conference

Event date

29 July - 4 August 2021

Department affiliated with

  • Strategy and Marketing Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2021-07-01

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2021-07-13

Usage metrics

    University of Sussex (Publications)

    Categories

    No categories selected

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC