Kate White

Position: Adjunct Associate Professor
Study Area: Education
Email: kate.white@federation.edu.au

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy – University of Melbourne 1980

Bachelor of Arts (Hons) – La Trobe University 1972

Master of Arts – La Trobe University 1975

Biography

Kate is the author, co-author or co-editor of seventeen books.

She was co-founder in 2007 of the international research consortium, the Women in Higher Education Management (WHEM) Network, see http://wil.insightsme.net/whem/ and has been its Director for fourteen years.

The Network has established a high-profile international reputation and has published four books: Gender, Power and Management (2011), now a standard text on gender and HE, Generation and Gender in Academia (2013), Gendered Success in Higher Education (2017) which featured in an article by Darragh O’Keeffe in the Higher Education Supplement of The Australian on 21 June 2017, and Gender and Power in Higher Education in a Globalised World (2021).

Kate convened a WHEM Network Project Meeting in Dublin in August 2018. Virtual meetings of the Network were held in June and July 2020.

The Network embarked on a strategy of expansion during 2018. It has welcomed researchers from the US, the Czech Republic and Germany, and now includes representatives from 14 countries.

Kate and her colleague Professor Pat O’Connor, University of Limerick, edited the Network’s latest book: Gender and Power in Higher Education in a Globalised World: It was published in August 2021 in the Palgrave Studies in Gender and Education series. One reviewer of the book proposal commented: “Both editors have many years of experience researching in this field and have between them published a large number of articles (and books) which are cited regularly by other scholars. They also coordinate the international network of women in higher education management so keep abreast of leadership gender equality issues, policies and practices across the world”.  Another commented that they were “eminently well qualified to produce a high-quality book”.

On 24 November 2021 Kate convened an international webinar to launch the book.

Areas of expertise

  • Gender equality and leadership in higher education
  • women’s academic careers
  • women in science
  • analysis of Australian political biography

Research interests

Kate’s research interests include project management of the Women in Higher Education Network, and fostering international research collaborations. She has published extensively with the late Professor Barbara Bagilhole, Dr Paula Burkinshaw, the late Dr Jenny Neale, Dr Anitra Goriss-Hunter and Professor Pat O’Connor. Some of her recent research activities have included:

  • Convenor of Stream 40 of the international Gender, Work and Organisation 2021 Virtual Conference, organised by the University of Kent Business School on 30 June to 2 July. There were thirteen papers accepted for the Stream.
  • Research collaboration with Associate Professor Cate Thomas, Charles Sturt University, exploring careers of women in Australian regional universities.
  • Member of the Social Inclusion, Intersectionality and Inclusion Research Group, Charles Sturt
  • Research project with Dr Anitra Goriss-Hunter, Federation University, on the challenges for women in regional universities. Two articles based on data from the project have been published and a further two are under review. In addition, Anitra and Kate have presented papers based on the data at the GWO Conference June 30- 2 July 2021, and AARE Conference, 28 November – 2 December 2021.
  • Edited a Special Issue on Women and Leadership in Higher Education for Social Sciences (with Dr Paula Burkinshaw, Leeds University). This was published in June 2019 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/socsci/special_issues/Women_and_Leadership_in_Higher_Education
  • Edited a Special Issue on Gender and Masculinities in Careers and Leadership in Higher Education forthe International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology. This was published on 23rd April 2018. http://genderandset.open.ac.uk/index.php/genderandset/issue/view/29
  • Member of the Editorial Board of Behavioral Sciences, an international open access journal which is included in the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) in the Web of Science. http://www.mdpi.com/journal/behavsci/editors
  • Member of the Editorial Board of the Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Equality and Diversity: An International Journal. https://ipedjournal.com/the-editorial-board/

Supervision

Principal supervisor of Lesley Birch’s PhD entitled: Women’s Decisions to Undertake Higher Research Degrees: a narrative inquiry, Victoria University. Lesley graduated in 2011.

Publications

Books

O’Connor, P. and White, K.  (eds.) (2021), Gender and Power in Higher Education in a Globalised World(Palgrave: Basingstoke).

White, K. and O’Connor, P.  (eds.) (2017), Gendered Success in Higher Education: global perspectives (Palgrave: Basingstoke).

K. White (2014). Keeping women in science (Melbourne University Press: Carlton).

B Bagilhole and K White (eds.) (2013). Generation and Gender in Academia (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).

B. Bagilhole and K. White (eds.) (2011). Gender, Power and Management: a cross cultural analysis of Higher Education (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).

Adams, R. and White, K. eds. (2005). Internationalising Education: Risks and Returns, Conference Proceedings, UCLA/VU (Victoria University: Melbourne).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1995). State of Fire (Hargreen: Melbourne).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1992).  A Bank for the People (Hargreen: Melbourne).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1992). The Fall of the House of Cain (Spectrum: Melbourne).

White, K. (1992).  An Open Account: 72 years of unionism in the State Bank of Victoria (FSU: Melbourne).

White, K. (1989). Barney: the story of Rees D Williams, architect of the white-collar union movement (Hargreen: Melbourne).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1988). Dharug and Dungaree (Hargreen: Melbourne) (winner of the National Australian Writer's History Prize, 1989).

White, K. (1987).  A Political Love Story: Joe and Enid Lyons (Penguin: Melbourne) (Kate was awarded both a new writer’s grant and a senior writing fellowship from the Australian Literature Board for this book).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1985). Research for Writers (Deakin University: Geelong).

Clarke, J. and White, K. (1983). Women in Australian Politics (Collins: Sydney).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1983), The Golden Years of Stawell (Lothian: Melbourne).

Murray, R. and White, K. (1982). The Ironworkers (Hale and Iremonger: Sydney).

White, K. (1982). John Cain and Victorian Labour 1917-1957 (Hale and Iremonger: Sydney).

Book chapters

O’Connor, P. and White, K.  (2021). Gender Equality in Higher Education: the slow pace of change, in P. O’Connor and K. White (eds.) Gender and Power in Higher Education in a Globalised World (Palgrave: Basingstoke).

Bonisch-Brednich, B. and White, K. (2021). Whatever happened to gender equality in our universities?  in P. O’Connor and K. White (eds.) Gender and Power in Higher Education in a Globalised World (Palgrave: Basingstoke).

O’Connor, P. and White, K.  (2021). Legitimating discourses and resistance: challenges to gender educality, in P. O’Connor and K. White (eds.) Gender and Power in Higher Education in a Globalised World (Palgrave: Basingstoke).

Burkinshaw, P. and White, K. (2019). Networking and gender equality in academic leadership, in A. Antoniou, G. Cooper, and C. Gatrell (Eds.), Women, Business, and Leadership: gender and organisations, Edward Elgar: Cheltenham UK, pp. 159-174.

Machado-Taylor, M. And White, K. (2014). Women in Academic Leadership. In C. Berheide, V. Demos and M Segal (Eds.), Gender Transformation in the Academy; Advances in Gender Research,19, 375-393.

K. White (2013). An Outsider in Academia. In B Bagilhole and K White (Eds.), Generation and Gender in Academia (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).

Bagilhole, B. and White, K. (2013). The Context. In B Bagilhole and K White (Eds.), Generation and Gender in Academia (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).

White, K. and Bagilhole, B. (2013). Continuity and change in academic careers. In B Bagilhole and K White (eds.), Generation and Gender in Academia (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).

Bagilhole, B. and White, K.  (2011). Building a feminist research network. In B. Bagilhole and K. White (Eds.), Gender, Power and Management: a cross cultural analysis of Higher Education (Palgrave Macmillan: Basingstoke).

White, K. (2011). Legislative Frameworks for EO. In B. Bagilhole and K. White (Eds.), Gender, Power and Management: a cross cultural analysis of Higher Education (Basingstoke:Palgrave Macmillan).

Bagilhole, B. and White, K. (2011). Towards interventions for senior women in higher education. In B. Bagilhole and K. White (Eds.), Gender, Power and Management: a cross cultural analysis of Higher Education (Basingstoke:Palgrave Macmillan).

Refereed journal articles/reports/reviews

White, K. (2021). Oh yes, I am wise, but it’s wisdom born of pain. Review of Beating the Odds: a practical guide to navigating sexism in Australian universities by Marcia Devlin ISBN: 9780645101034, Marcia Devlin, North Melbourne, 188 pp., 2021, Australian Universities Review, 63, 2, 74-75.

Goriss-Hunter, A., & White, K. (2021). Teamwork and regional universities: the benefits for women of a Third Space, Australian Universities Review,63, 2, 11-21.

White, K. (2021). Australian Political Biography and Biographers: Revisiting Australian Political Biography, Australian Journal of Biography and History, 5, 1-20.

Burkinshaw, P. and White, K. (2020). Generation, Gender and Leadership: metaphors and Images, Special Issue on Leadership in Education, Frontiers in Education

Front. Educ. | doi: 10.3389/feduc.2020.517497 http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/feduc.2020.517497/full?&utm_source=Email_to_authors_&utm_medium=Email&utm_content=T1_11.5e1_author&utm_campaign=Email_publication&field=&journalName=Frontiers_in_Education&id=517497

Burkinshaw, P. and White, K. (2020). How generational models influence gender diversity in university leadership, Diversity in Research Jobs,26 August https://www.diversityinresearch.careers/article/how-generational-models-influence-gender-diversity-in-university-leadership/

Neale, J. and White, K. (2020). Gender Equity Policy: New Zealand and Australia. In M. David and M. Amey (Eds.). AGE Encyclopedia of Higher Education. (London: SAGE Publications).

White, K. and Burkinshaw, P. (2019). Editorial, Special Issue on Women and Leadership in Higher Education in Social Sciences 8, 7, 204.

White, K. (2019). Review of Thomas Chamorro-Premuzic Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (and how to fix it), Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, Australian Universities Review, 61, 2, 86-6.

White, K. (2019). Review of Iola Mathews (2019), Winning for Women: a personal story, Monash University Publishing: Clayton, Australian Universities Review, 61, 2, 84-5.

White, K. (2018). Review of Valerie Bevan and Caroline Gatrell (2017). Knowing Her Place: Positioning Women in Science, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK. International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 10, 3, pp. 456-457.

Pyke, J. and White, K. (2018). Gender quotas and targets would speed up progress on gender equality in academia, The Conversation, 29th August http://theconversation.com/gender-quotas-and-targets-would-speed-up-progress-on-gender-equity-in-academia-102103 (This was The Conversation’s third most popular article for September 2018 with 1327 reads).

Sagebiel, F. and White, K. (2018). Guest Editorial, Gender and Masculinities in Careers and Leadership in Higher Education, Special Issue of International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 10, 1, 1-6.

White, K. (2018). Are new career models for science research emerging? , in Special Issue of International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 10, 1, 72-87.

White, K. (2018). Review of Eva Tutchell and John Edmonds (2015). Man-Made, Gower:Farnham UK, in Special Issue of International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 10, 1, 190-92.

White, K.(2018). Review of Catherine Fox (2017). Stop Fixing Women: why building fairer workplaces is everybody’s business, Newsouth Publishing: Sydney, Australian Universities Review, 60, 2, 88-89.

Burkinshaw, P. and White, K. (2017). ‘Fixing the Women or Fixing Universities’, Administrative Sciences, 7, 30, pp. 1-14.

White, K. (2017). Review of Kathryn Zippel (2017). Women in Global Science: Advancing Academic Careers through International Collaboration (Stanford University Press: Stanford), Australian Universities’ Review, 59, 2, pp. 89-90.

White, K. (2016). Supporting Women in Higher Education Leadership, University World News, Issue No 421, 8th July http://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20160704152524366

White, K. and Machado-Taylor, M. (2016). Gender and atypical academic careers, Aequo – Journal of the Portuguese Women’s Studies Association (June).

Neale, J. and White, K. (2016). Opportunities, constraints and challenges for senior women, Aequo – Journal of the Portuguese Women’s Studies Association (June).

White, K. (2016). Review of P. O’Connor (2014). Management and gender in higher education, MUP: Manchester, in Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 38, 1, 107-8.

White, K. (2016). Review of M. Tousfouli (ed.) (2015). Gender, Careers and Inequalities in Medicine and Medical Education: International Perspectives (Emerald UK), in Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Equality and Diversity: An International Journal, 2, 1.

White, K. (2016). Review of Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education, Daryl G. Smith (ed.), Routledge, London 2014, Australian Universities Review, 58, 2.

White, K. (2015). ‘Glass Ceilings and Monastic Men: Keeping Women in Science’ Australian Quarterly, 86, 3, 14-19.

White, K. (2015). ‘Are we serious about keeping women in science’, Australian Universities Review, 85, 2, 84-6.

White, K. (2015). Review of P. Burkinshaw (2015). Higher Education, Leadership and Women Vice Chancellors; fitting into communities of practice of masculinities, Palgrave: Basingstoke, in Women in Higher Education Network Project Update, July.

White, K. (2015). Evaluation of the 2013 WiL Program https://federation.edu.au/staff/working-at-feduni/equity-and-equal-opportunity/women-in-leadership

White, K. (2015). ‘Keeping Women in Science’, Early and Mid-Career Pathways, Issue 3, the Australian Academy of Science https://www.science.org.au/emcr-pathways-issue-3/keeping-women-in-science

Neale, J. and White, K. (2014). ‘Australasian university management, gender and life course issues’, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 33, 4, 384-395.

O’Connor, P., Carvalho, T. and White, K. (2014). ‘The Experiences of Senior Positional Leaders in Australian, Irish and Portuguese Universities: Universal or Contingent?’,  Higher Education Research and Development, 33, 1, 5-18.

Machado-Taylor, M. White, K. and Gouveia, O. (2014). ‘Job satisfaction of Academics: does gender matter?’, Higher Education Policy, 1, 1-12.

Cavalho, T. White, K. and Machado-Taylor, M. (2013). Top university managers and affirmative action, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, 32, 4, 394-409.

White, K. Bagilhole, B. and Riordan, S. (2012). The gendered shaping of university leadership in Australia, South Africa and the UK’, Higher Education Quarterly, 66, 3, 293-307.

O’Connor, P.  and White, K. (2011). Similarities and Differences in Collegiality/Managerialism in Irish and Australian Universities, Gender and Education, 27, 3, 903-920.

White, K., Carvalho, T. and Riordan, S. (2011). Gender, Power and Managerialism in Universities, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management’, 33, 2, 179-86 (this article was featured in University World News, 3 April 2011).

White, K. and Özkanli, O. (2011). A Comparative Study of Perceptions of Gender and Leadership in Australian and Turkish Universities, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33, 1, 3-16.

Tessiens, L. White, K. and Webb, C. (2011). Senior women at Higher Education institutions: perceived development needs and support, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 33, 6, 653-665 (this article was featured in University World News, 6 March 2012).

White, K. Riordan, S. Neale, J. and Özkanli, O. (2010).  ‘Cross cultural perspectives of gender and management in universities’, South African Journal for Higher Education’, 24, 4, 649-660.

Özkanli, Ö. Machado, M. White, K. O’Connor, P. Riordan, S. and Neale, J. (2009).  ‘Gender and management in HEIs: changing organizational and management structures’, Tertiary Education and Management, 15, 3, 241-257.

Özkanli Ö.and White K. (2009). ‘Gender and leadership in Turkish and Australian Universities, Equal Opportunities International’, 28,4,  324-335.

Bagilhole, B.and White, K. (2008). ‘Towards a gendered skills analysis of senior management positions in UK and Australian Universities’, Tertiary Education and Management, 14,1, 1-12 (Article in Times Higher Education Supplement based on Tertiary Education and Management article, 13 March 2008).

Özkanli, Ö.and White, K. (2008). ‘Leadership and strategic choices: female professors in Australia and Turkey’, Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 30, 1,  53-63.

White, K. and Bagilhole, B.  (2007). ‘Where men fear to tread? Women and university leadership in the UK and Australia’, in T. Jefferson et al. eds., Changes, Challenges, Choices: Proceedings from the Inaugural International Women and Leadership Conference, Fremantle, 16-17 November 2006, pp. 32-48.  www.cbs.curtin.edu.au/wiser.

Bagilhole, B. and White, K. (2006).  ‘Making it to the top? Towards a gendered skills analysis of senior leadership and management positions in UK and Australian Universities’, in C. Chesterman ed. Change in Climate: prospects for gender equity in higher education, Proceedings of ATN WEXDEV Conference, Adelaide.

White, K. (2005), ‘Surviving or thriving in academia: women, teaching, research and promotion in Australian Universities’ in V. Maione ed. Gender Equality in Higher Education (Milan: FrancoAngela) pp. 391-406.

Neale, J. and White, K. (2005). ‘Achieving the right balance: a comparative case study of senior academic women in Australia and New Zealand’, International Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Change Management’, 4, 959-967

Wiseman, J. and White, K. (2005), Australian Universities as sites of citizenship: Victoria University of Technology: learning to engage; the development of University-community engagement strategies at Victoria University (Melbourne: Victoria University).

White, K. (2004). ‘The Leaking Pipeline: women postgraduate and early career researchers in Australia’, Tertiary Education and Management, 10, 4, 227-241.

Neale, J. and White, K. (2004). ‘Almost there: a comparative case study of senior academic women in Australia and New Zealand’, Conference Proceedings, NACEW, http://www.nacew.govt.nz/conference2004/papers.html

Bagilhole, B. and White, K. (2004). ‘Created in their image: An analysis of male cultural hegemony in higher education in Australia and the United Kingdom’,  in B. Groombridge and V. Mackie eds. Researching Research Agendas: Women, Research and Publication in Higher Education, Proceedings of the Australian Technology Network – Women’s Executive Development 2003 Research Conference, Curtin University, Perth, pp. 1-12.

White, K. (2003). ‘Women and Leadership in Higher Education in Australia’, Tertiary Education and Management, 9,1, 45-60.

White, K. (2002).  ‘Being Ignored: A case study of women in the professoriate in Australia’ in C. Wiedmer ed. Sound Changes: An International Survey of Women’s Career Strategies in Higher Education, Universelle 4, Office for Equal Opportunities, University of Zurich, pp. 45-56.

White, K. and Nix, H. (2002).  Implementing Strategies to Improve Women’s Participation in Research Higher Degrees, final report (Melbourne: Victoria University).

White, K. (2001). ‘Women in the Professoriate in Australia’, International Journal of Organisational Behaviour, 3, 2, 64-76.

White, K. (2000).  entry on Rees D. “Barney” Williams for the Australian Dictionary of Biography.

White, K.  Nix, H. and Birch. L. (2000).  Implementing Strategies to Improve Women’s Participation in Research Higher Degrees, Interim Report (Melbourne: Victoria University).

White, K. (2000). ‘Value-adding to postgraduate research in the Sciences: Learning from Co-operative Research Centres’ in M. Kiley and G. Mullins (eds.). Quality in Postgraduate Research: Making Ends Meet, The Advisory Centre for University Education, The University of Adelaide.

White, K. (1999). Guide to Peer Support, Victoria University, Melbourne.

White, K. (1998). ‘Thesis Writing for Supervisors’ in M. Kiley and G. Mullins eds., Quality in Postgraduate Research: Managing the New Agenda (Adelaide: The Advisory Centre for University Education, University of Adelaide).

White, K. (1997).  Mentoring for Postgraduates: a VU pilot scheme (Melbourne: Victoria University).

White, K. (1996).  Improving Women’s Participation in Research Higher Degree (Melbourne: Monash University).

White, K. (1996).  Women and Research at Monash University: an affirmative action initiative, report prepared for the Equal Opportunity Unit, Monash University, Melbourne.

Associations

  • The Women in Higher Education Management Network
  • Social Inclusion, Intersectionality and Inclusion Research Group Social Inclusion, Intersectionality and Inclusion Research Group, Charles Sturt University
  • SJIDE Group, Federation University