Stories Women Tell: Minority Faculty Women in Different Scientific Fields

Abstract

This study analyzes the narratives of Mizrachi (Oriental) faculty women's experience in institutions of higher education in Israel. These women comprise a small minority of the faculty and confront multiple difficulties because of the intersection of their gender, ethnic origin and low socio-economic status. The narratives describing their lived-experiences in academia are classified according to their 'thematic focus' into three types: a) a story of struggle and victory; b) a story of protest and critique; and c) a normative-canonical story. Each narrative type is illustrated by an empirical example drawn from the stories told by participants in interviews. The data reveal that various types of narratives are related to the different scientific fields in which women work. The findings are relevant to scientific communities and academic institutions that are increasingly heterogeneous in respect to gender, ethnic origin and social, cultural and national background.