Age, burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence in female academics at two South African universities
Year: 2011
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The influence of the age of female academics on their work experience in South \nAfrican universities has not been researched to date. Yet, much publicity has \nbeen given to the “leaking pipeline” syndrome, referring term which refers to the \nloss of female academics before they attain one of the higher positions, such as \nsenior lecturer, associate professor or professor. This trend is alarming as \nuniversities strive to achieve employment equity on all hierarchical levels. As the \nlink between being an older academic and being higher up in the academic ranks \ncannot be denied, it is becoming important to find ways of retaining older female \nacademics. The study reported here was conducted from a positive psychological \nparadigm. The aim of the study was to determine the influence of age on female \nacademics’ experience of burnout, work engagement and sense of coherence. \nThe results confirmed a positive relationship between age and work engagement, \nas well as sense of coherence. No relationship between age and burnout was \nfound, implying that women are expected to experience higher levels of work \nengagement and sense of coherence. Recommendations are offered for \nmanagement on how female academics could be retained and supported towards \nreaching the higher ranks of academia.
Authors: Adéle Bezuidenhout, Frans Cilliers
Institutions: Tshwane University of Technology, University of South Africa
Language: English
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2260512549