2020/10/05 by Kristi Kaeppel, Robin S. Grenier, Emma Björngard-Basayne · 1 voice · 1 citation
Business, Management and Accounting · Psychology · Social Sciences · #Gender Diversity and Inequality #Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior #Mentoring and Academic Development
paper · doi:10.1177/1534484320962256
openalex publication_date 2020/10/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
This conceptual paper contributes a new perspective on the role of women academics’ friendships in helping them navigate and counter the masculine culture of academia. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory and Relational Cultural Theory, we contend that women’s friendships allow women to thrive by meeting core psychological needs that are threatened in a marginalized work environment. Women’s intra-gender friendships act as counterspaces that challenge deficit notions women often hold about themselves, which are particularly prevalent for early career academics and women of color. We examine these workplace friendships through the belief that the academy is a gendered workplace which results in women often experiencing significant challenges to their career success. Furthermore, we consider how women’s friendships can mitigate the effects of workplace marginalization and enhance well-being that results in career success. We conclude by challenging HRD scholars to consider how academia can make space for and value women’s friendships in the workplace to benefit both individuals and institutions.