The simultaneous impacts of gender, age, and culture: an intersectional perspective on Botswana stem leadership

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the intersection of gender, age, culture, and industry dynamics on the lived experiences of women in Botswana Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) leadership. The problem statement was inspired by the continued underrepresentation of women in STEM senior leadership positions and the paucity of local intersectional studies on the topic. Intersectionality was used as a key conceptual framework in this interpretivist qualitative study, creating meaning from the rich thick data from the interviews. The study recognised the contextual uniqueness of each participant’s interpretation of her own experiences and acknowledged that that truth might not be generalisable, though transferable to similar contexts. Data were gathered through constructivist grounded theory semi-structured interviews. Twenty participants (19 in middle and senior management positions and 1 in a non-managerial position) were selected using purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The findings of the study showed that age, culture, and gender simultaneously impacted women leaders’ experiences in the Botswana STEM sector. The broader socio-cultural context and STEM industry culture emerged as having the strongest impact on the women leaders’ experiences of marginalisation. Specifically, a patriarchal societal culture and a masculine industry culture contributed to negative gendered experiences for women leaders. Age impacted the women leaders to a lesser degree, and its impact was more pronounced amongst younger women and older women leaders. Middle-aged women were transitorily spared, to an extent. While youth was associated with inexperience for both men and women, young women’s age tended to be viewed more negatively. Similarly, while older age was cherished for men and associated with wisdom, it was shunned as a sign of decline for older women. The participants identified strategies for gender transformation at the individual, familial, industry, and societal levels. The study sought to address the paucity of intersectional studies in Botswana in general and the STEM sector in particular. The contribution of the study is an intersectional theoretical framework that addresses gender transformation in the STEM sector at the individual, organisational and national levels. The framework informs a holistic approach to gender transformation in the Botswana STEM sector. The limitations of the study, which future research can address, include the consideration of other social identities such as social class, sexual orientation and disability, and a broader cross section of STEM stakeholders.