GENMAC Board Member Andy Prothero published “Me, the Patriarchy, and the Business School” in the Journal of Management Studies
This essay is a call to action to dismantle the patriarchal system which thrives in academia, and business schools in particular. Building on my personal experiences of being a woman in academia since 1989, and using an analogy of ‘death by a million cuts’, I outline how enmeshed and embedded the patriarchy is and the impact this has on one’s career, health, and well-being. While acknowledging that changing and dismantling a system as enshrined as the patriarchy is not an easy task, I offer some solutions which focus on challenging and changing the patriarchal systems, structures, power dynamics, cultures, and norms, resulting in a reimagined business school, one which is kinder, fairer, and more collaborative for all genders.