What do the narratives tell us? Exploring the implementation of the Athena SWAN Ireland Charter.

O'Mullane, Monica

dc.contributor.author	O'Mullane, Monica
dc.date.accessioned	2024-07-22T16:04:24Z
dc.date.available	2024-07-22T16:04:24Z
dc.date.issued	2023-01-04
dc.identifier.pmid	36687009
dc.identifier.doi	10.3389/fsoc.2022.1058397
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10147/642422
dc.description	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.	en_US
dc.language.iso	en	en_US
dc.rights	Copyright © 2023 O'Mullane.
dc.rights	Attribution 4.0 International	*
dc.rights.uri	http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/	*
dc.subject	Athena SWAN	en_US
dc.subject	Ireland	en_US
dc.subject	GENDER EQUALITY	en_US
dc.subject	higher education	en_US
dc.subject	policy implementation	en_US
dc.title	What do the narratives tell us? Exploring the implementation of the Athena SWAN Ireland Charter.	en_US
dc.type	Article	en_US
dc.identifier.eissn	2297-7775
dc.identifier.journal	Frontiers in sociology	en_US
dc.source.journaltitle	Frontiers in sociology
dc.source.volume	7
dc.source.beginpage	1058397
dc.source.endpage
refterms.dateFOA	2024-07-22T16:04:26Z
dc.source.country	Switzerland